The last one: A Justice Department lawyer told a magistrate judge Tuesday that a grand jury could not agree on an indictment, according to the Washington Post.
- The attorney, whom the Post identified as Neville S. Hedley, the division’s acting lead counsel, did not say who the indictment refers to, but multiple sources told the Post and other media outlets that it concerns Hutchinson.
Catch up quickly: Hutchinson’s testimony before Congress in 2022 revealed several bombshells about the Trump administration’s actions before and through January 6, 2021.
- She testified that she was told that Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent who refused to take him to the Capitol, that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed and that Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had been warned of potential violence at the Capitol.
- She also described Trump’s reluctance to call on his supporters to back down as the violence unfolded at the Capitol.
Zoom out: Republicans have long disputed Hutchinson’s testimony, and Secret Service agents she identified as being familiar with the events of that day also said they did not recall some of the incidents she described.
- Earlier this year, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) sent a criminal referral of Hutchinson to the Justice Department for investigation. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) co-signed it.
- Criminal referrals are recommendations to the Department of Justice and do not necessarily indicate criminal conduct or result in charges.
The plot: Breaking with precedent, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump loyalist, led the investigation into Hutchinson, according to the New York Times.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., currently led by Jeanine Pirro, generally handles investigations into allegations of lying to Congress.
- The Times noted that Pirro has struggled to secure indictments against alleged Trump enemies, with several high-profile cases failing after the evidence turned out to be thinner than initially thought.
Go further: Red Meat Revenge: Trump Steps Up Campaign Against MAGA Haters
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