The Justice Department's civil rights division has launched an investigation into Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony implicated President Trump in the January 6 Capitol riot. This highly unusual move directs a congressional perjury case to a unit that typically handles civil rights abuses like police misconduct and racial discrimination.

Four sources familiar with the matter say the probe began weeks ago after a Trump ally in Congress accused Hutchinson of lying to the House committee investigating January 6. The decision aligns with the administration's efforts to use federal power against political opponents, though Justice Department officials have expressed skepticism about the viability of a criminal case.

Hutchinson, now 29, testified in June 2022 that Trump encouraged armed supporters to march on the Capitol despite knowing they could turn violent. She also claimed Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent when told he couldn't join supporters at the Capitol, though other testimony later contradicted this account. The case was assigned directly to Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the civil rights division, bypassing the U.S. attorney's office in Washington that typically handles such matters.