DOJ seeks indictment of former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

Justice Department Targets Cassidy Hutchinson for Prosecution

The Trump administration is seeking to prosecute Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide who served as a key witness for the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to Punchbowl News, the Department of Justice intends to criminally indict Hutchinson, accusing her of lying to the January 6 committee about her observations on that day in 2021. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division presented evidence to a federal grand jury on Tuesday and is expected to present additional evidence and witnesses in the coming weeks, unnamed sources told Punchbowl. NBC News confirmed the report.

Hutchinson, who worked for former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, has not yet received a subpoena from the grand jury.

Republicans have called for Hutchinson's prosecution for years. Representative Barry Loudermilk referred her to the DOJ in March, with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan signing off on the referral.

In 2022, Hutchinson testified that President Trump wanted to join his supporters and march on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, but his aides and Secret Service detail said it was unsafe. She further testified that:

• Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limousine
• When a Secret Service agent grabbed his arm, Trump grabbed the agent's neck
• Trump wanted his armed supporters to march that day
• Meadows overheard the president say Vice President Mike Pence "deserves it" in response to the MAGA faithful chanting "Hang Mike Pence" at the Capitol

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division typically handles discrimination cases, not cases of lying to Congress. The division has reportedly hired questionable candidates to fill vacancies, including lawyers convicted of crimes themselves.

Related: President Trump Was a Violent Maniac Behind Closed Doors

JD Vance Struggles to Define Socialism

Vice President JD Vance was asked to define socialism at a press conference on Thursday. Instead of offering a substantive response, the Harvard-educated lawyer and author gave what critics described as a "brain-dead, tailored-for-Fox News answer."

Vance was fielding questions at a press conference announcing that Microsoft and other tech firms would be temporarily suspended from sponsoring H-1B visa workers seeking green cards.

"Oh man.... It's a hard term to define these days because very often socialism … classically, you would think socialism is about prioritizing workers. And yet in reality, most of the self-described socialists running across the United States of America are going to howl about this announcement today, which is prioritizing American workers over foreign workers. So I don't know what the term means anymore," he said.

"I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is that you wanna replace American workers with foreign workers and you want boys to play in girls' sports. That's what unites the socialists that I see running across the United States of America today."

Socialism has multiple definitions and perspectives. So-called "sewer socialists," like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, believe Americans should have "whatever they need to live a dignified life" and that it is "the government's job to deliver on that." More classical definitions advocate for wealth redistribution from a small minority of elites to the working class, with both market and non-market models.

Editor's Pick: Memo to Those Who Fear Socialism: Why Don't You Try Fixing Capitalism?

Stephen Miller Pushes for Inhumane ICE Detention Conditions

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities to be inhumane, according to a government contractor who spoke with NPR News.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected a plan to construct more humane immigration detention facilities. At a meeting with the DHS deputy director, the contractor pitched building a FEMA-style camp, believing it would be more humane than constructing megaprisons inside of warehouses. The plan was rejected.

"No one that we spoke to at DHS was for this idea whatsoever. The deputy director told us point-blank that they had pushed back very hard on it. Everybody knew warehouses are horrible places to put people," the contractor told NPR.

The contractor believed the directive to construct facilities with the worst possible conditions came from the White House—specifically Stephen Miller, who was not present at the meeting.

"Miller did not want the facilities that were comfortable. He did not want facilities that were humane. We were told point-blank that that was not what the administration wanted," the contractor said.

"Steve Miller certainly seemed to make that point to everyone that he wanted it to be cruel. This was what Miller had stated to the DHS at that time, to the DHS director and deputy director. What surprised me was just how adamant the people were that it was going to happen. Damn the consequences. I would say in 25 years of working with the U.S. government, I've never been in that position before."

White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told NPR that the contractor's comments were "false hearsay allegation(s) from someone who has never even met or talked with Stephen Miller" and were "defamatory."

Under Miller's leadership, ICE has subjected tens of thousands of people—including U.S. citizens, lawful immigrants, and immigrants with no criminal convictions—to:

• Overcrowded rooms
• Unsanitary conditions
• Insufficient food and water
• Denied adequate medical care
• Denied legal counsel
• Locked in cages

As of earlier this week, 28 people have died in ICE custody in 2026. In 2025, ICE reported 33 detainee deaths, the highest in two decades.

Read more: "Go After Anybody": ICE Gets Terrifying Marching Orders in California

Trump Advisers Face Backlash Over Balkan Ties

MAGA world has turned its fury toward two of President Trump's closest advisers, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, after revelations that the pair prioritized assisting a pro-Russia Balkan regime over helping Republicans win the midterms.

"This has opened the floodgates," a person close to the White House told Politico Thursday. "The knives are now fully out for these two."

Trump tapped both men to oversee his midterm advertising campaign. However, LaCivita and Blair were not stateside last week during the Republican blitz. Instead, they visited Republika Srpska, a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of its regional elections, according to sources who spoke with The New York Times.

Republika Srpska is closely aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has made considerable efforts to build ties with Trump and his allies, according to the Times.

Blair and LaCivita were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a Washington-based law firm affiliated with Republika Srpska's government.

Trump, apparently unaware of their travel plans, posted on Truth Social Wednesday, claiming Blair and LaCivita were "outside consultants" and "do not work for me."

Both men have held significant positions within Trump's orbit:

• James Blair: Served as Trump's White House deputy chief of staff before running the president's midterm spending campaign
• Chris LaCivita: Worked as chief strategist of Trump's primary super PAC, MAGA Inc., and later became chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee

Both are connected to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, but even the famed "ice maiden" reportedly could not protect them from the White House's ire.

"[Trump] has been livid for awhile over how things have been heading, and he hates nothing more than when people make money off him, especially when those people abandon him like this," another person close to the president told Politico, noting that Trump could "cut them off forever" if the situation continues to deteriorate.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told Politico: "If your top political advisers are not paying attention to the midterms and instead are paying attention to taking money off the table in a foreign country, that seems to indicate to me that they've moved on from Donald Trump as their top priority, and I think you're going to see a lot of that."

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