"I am very concerned about the weaponization of the Justice Department," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R–La.) told reporters in August, explaining his reservations about voting to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general.
asserted
Cassidy → tell → general
Cassidy specifically cited the attempt to prosecute Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House aide during President Donald Trump's first term, based on her 2022 testimony before the House select committee that investigated the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
asserted
that → cite → Capitol
"I'm told there is a grand jury being empaneled to investigate her," Cassidy said.
asserted
Cassidy → tell → her
Grand jurors in Washington, D.C., who on Tuesday declined to approve an indictment of Hutchinson, apparently shared the senator's concerns about the case against her.
asserted
who → decline → her
That setback is part of a pattern: Grand juries, which historically have almost never rejected charges proposed by federal prosecutors, have done so repeatedly during the last two years, reflecting the Trump administration's tendency to pursue politically motivated cases based on inadequate evidence.
asserted
which → reject → evidence
A grand jury hears only the government's side of a case, and the probable cause standard for approving an indictment, which requires reasonable grounds to believe a crime has been committed and that the person identified by prosecutors committed the crime, is much less demanding than the proof beyond a reasonable doubt required for a conviction.
asserted
person → hear → conviction
But the Justice Department's manual for prosecutors says they should not pursue criminal charges unless "the admissible evidence will probably be sufficient" to meet the latter test.
asserted
evidence → say → test
It is a pretty striking indication that prosecutors are disregarding that injunction when a grand jury determines that they have failed to meet the minimal burden of establishing probable cause.
asserted
they → disregard → cause
Hutchinson, who at the time of the Capitol riot was White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' principal assistant, delivered the testimony at the center of the failed indictment on June 28, 2022.
asserted
who → deliver → June
She described Trump as unconcerned about weapons carried by some of the people who attended the speech he delivered the day of the riot, during which he reiterated his false claim that Joe Biden had stolen the 2020 presidential election and urged his supporters to "fight like hell" against congressional ratification of his victory.
uncertain
Biden → describe → victory
Hutchinson said Trump wanted the Secret Service to stop screening rally participants with magnetometers because he was worried it would reduce the size of the crowd.
asserted
it → say → crowd
"I don't effing care that they have weapons," Trump said, according to Hutchinson's approximate recollection.
uncertain
Trump → care → recollection
"They're not here to hurt me.
asserted
They → hurt → me
They can march to the Capitol from here.
asserted
They → march → Capitol
Hutchinson also said Trump was irate when the Secret Service told him he could not join the protesters at the Capitol.
uncertain
he → say → Capitol
But Hutchinson added disputed details, saying Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato had told her Trump was so angry that he "lunge[d] towards Bobby Engel," the head of his protective detail, and "reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel."
asserted
he → add → wheel
The Secret Service agent who was Trump's driver that day contradicted Hutchinson's account, and Ornato said he had no recollection of any such incident.
asserted
he → contradict → incident
Last March, Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R–Ga.) and Jim Jordan (R–Ohio) urged the Justice Department to prosecute Hutchinson for lying to Congress.
asserted
Loudermilk → urge → Congress
"Hutchinson's potential prosecution became a point of controversy between lawmakers and employees of the Justice Department," CNN reports.
asserted
CNN → become → Department
"Some inside the department believed there was not enough evidence to bring a viable criminal case."
asserted
Some → believe → case
You would expect such a case to be handled by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
asserted
case → expect → Columbia
But the investigation of Hutchinson was instead conducted by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which is run by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, another Trump loyalist.
asserted
which → conduct → Dhillon
You might wonder what scrutinizing Hutchinson's testimony had to do with "protecting the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans," which is how Dhillon's division describes its mission.
uncertain
division → wonder → mission
Dhillon's involvement is all the more puzzling given that Pirro previously had not hesitated to pursue dubious charges against the president's enemies.
asserted
Pirro → give → enemies
Last February, Pirro sought an indictment of six Democratic members of Congress who appeared in a November 2025 video that reminded U.S. military personnel of their duty to "refuse illegal orders."
asserted
that → seek → orders
Trump condemned that message as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL," saying the lawmakers "should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."
asserted
lawmakers → condemn → TRIAL
But as a federal judge later noted, the allegedly criminal video was "unquestionably protected" by the First Amendment.
uncertain
video → note → Amendment
That did not deter Pirro from trying to deliver on her boss's threat.
asserted
That → deter → threat
But as in Hutchinson's case, the grand jury apparently was not willing to participate in Trump's vendetta.
asserted
jury → participate → vendetta
After it unanimously refused to approve the indictment, Pirro gave up.
asserted
Pirro → refuse → indictment
That embarrassing experience may have deterred Pirro from getting involved in Hutchinson's case, especially if she thought there was not enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
uncertain
she → deter → conviction
She would have had good reasons for reaching that conclusion.
asserted
She → have → conclusion
It is not clear exactly what charges the grand jury rejected this week.
asserted
jury → reject → charges
But the most obviously relevant statutes are 18 USC 1001, which covers false statements "in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch," and 18 USC 1621, which covers false testimony under oath.
asserted
which → cover → oath
But a conviction under Section 1001 requires proving that the defendant "knowingly and willfully" made a "materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement," and the perjury statute applies only when a sworn witness "willfully and contrary to such oath" makes a "material" statement that "he does not believe to be true."
asserted
he → require → statement
Those elements would have been hard to satisfy in Hutchinson's case.
asserted
elements → satisfy → case
Her testimony about Trump's insouciant attitude toward weapons carried by his supporters was based on what she said she heard him say, an account that pits her word against that of a habitually dishonest politician whose speech that same day was full of misrepresentations.
asserted
speech → carry → misrepresentations
And even if her recollection of Trump's comments was not fully accurate, that does not necessarily mean she intentionally gave false testimony.
asserted
she → mean → testimony
The same goes for the alleged lunging-and-grabbing incident, an account Hutchinson said was based on a conversation with Ornato that he says he does not recall.
asserted
he → go → that
Maybe Hutchinson, who had a lawyer and was surely aware of the potential penalties for lying to Congress, nevertheless fabricated both of those claims.
uncertain
who → have → claims
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
