The Justice Department has begun presenting evidence to a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., examining whether Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony riveted the House Jan. 6 committee, lied to Congress, according to multiple reports citing people familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors from the department's Civil Rights Division presented evidence to the grand jury on Tuesday and plan to introduce additional witnesses and evidence later this month, CBS News reported. It is unusual for the Civil Rights Division, rather than the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, to handle such a case, and it wasn't immediately clear why that office was assigned the matter.

A GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION DOES NOT ESTABLISH WRONGDOING.

The investigation traces back to a congressional referral made earlier this year. A 2024 report from Rep. Barry Loudermilk concluded that several of Hutchinson's most dramatic claims in her June 2022 testimony were contradicted by other evidence gathered by the committee.

Hutchinson, a former aide to then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified publicly that President Trump had lunged for the steering wheel of his SUV and grabbed a Secret Service agent by the throat on Jan. 6, 2021, after being told he could not go to the Capitol — an account the Secret Service agents involved have disputed.

As of this week, Hutchinson has not been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, and the specific statements prosecutors believe may have violated federal law have not been publicly identified. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the investigation, and no indictment has been announced.

Hutchinson, now a published memoirist, has not commented publicly on the reports. Under federal law, she is presumed innocent of any alleged offense, and legal experts caution that grand jury proceedings frequently do not result in charges.