The Justice Department is weighing perjury and obstruction charges against one of the January 6 committee's most prominent witnesses.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, testified against Donald Trump before the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. The Justice Department is now considering whether to bring a perjury and obstruction-of-justice case against her. No charges have been filed, and officials have not specified which statements are under scrutiny. The review remains in its early stages, and it is unclear whether it will result in a prosecution.
A case against Hutchinson would mark one of the most direct legal consequences yet for a witness who cooperated with the January 6 investigation. It also signals that testimony given years ago, under oath and praised at the time, can still carry legal risk long after the hearings ended. That's a sobering data point for anyone weighing whether to cooperate with a congressional inquiry in the future.
Whether this becomes an actual prosecution or fades into a review that goes nowhere, the chilling effect on future witnesses doesn't require an indictment to take hold.