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Grand jury declines to indict Cassidy Hutchinson over her Jan. 6 testimony

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 11 outlets across the spectrum.

13 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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The Justice Department failed to secure a grand jury indictment of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Associated Press and other outlets. The Justice Department had alleged that Hutchinson lied to Congress about her testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee, according to ABC News and Just the News. The Daily Mail reports that the probe was opened earlier this year under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Hutchinson testified in 2022 that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his vehicle on Jan. 6, 2021, and the Associated Press describes that testimony as disputed.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Federal prosecutors failed to get a grand jury to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, according to people familiar with the matter.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left2Left5Center2Right3Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MeidasTouch, The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News, The New York Times, ABC News, The Guardian, NBC News
    Center
    CNBC, PBS NewsHour
    Right
    Daily Mail, The Washington Times, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Just the News

  2. The Justice Department alleged that Hutchinson lied to Congress about her testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Just the News

  3. Hutchinson testified in 2022 that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his vehicle on Jan. 6, 2021, and the Associated Press describes that testimony as disputed.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Just the News

  4. The Daily Mail reports that the Justice Department opened a federal criminal investigation into Hutchinson earlier this year, begun by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    One outletDaily Mail· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Hutchinson’s 2022 testimony that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his vehicle on Jan. 6, 2021

    The Associated Press describes the testimony as dramatic but disputed, and Just the News says her account has faced scrutiny for years. NBC, the Daily Beast and the Guardian present her as a key witness who implicated Trump.

  • The case against Hutchinson is a retaliatory prosecution of a Trump critic

    The Daily Beast calls it a vengeance scheme and the New York Times places it within Trump’s campaign against political opponents. Right-side outlets report the Justice Department’s allegation of lying to Congress without describing a motive.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that a grand jury declined to indict former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Justice Department charges over her Jan. 6 testimony. Left outlets frame it as another failed prosecution of a Trump critic, while right outlets focus on the disputed testimony and on the unclear statements at issue.

  • the left

    6 outlets · 1 opinion

    Left headlines report the grand jury decision as another failed case, and the far-left outlets go further, calling Justice Department officials goons and the case a vengeance scheme.

    Grand Jury Declines to Bring Charges Against Cassidy Hutchinson
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    The center’s own headline, from CNBC, reports the rejection plainly with a “Reports” tag, and PBS ran the Associated Press wire report, which states the decision as sourced.

    Grand jury rejects DOJ bid to indict ex-Trump WH aide Cassidy Hutchinson: Reports
    CNBCCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-side headlines state the failed indictment plainly; Just the News stresses that the statements at issue were never specified, and the Washington Times runs an AP report.

    Justice Department fails to secure grand jury indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson
    Just the NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left9

    botched prosecutionsTrump regimehumiliating defeatHumiliated Again

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    famously implicated Trump

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    botched prosecutionsMore neutral: prosecutions that failed

    The word judges the cases as failed before any ruling on their merits, which the description does not establish.

    …indictment adds to a growing pile of courtroom defeats, rejected charges, and botched prosecutions targeting Trump's critics.

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Trump regimeMore neutral: Trump administration

    Calling an elected administration a regime presents it as illegitimate without evidence.

    The Trump regime’s attempt to prosecute one of the most prominent witnesses against Donald Trump in…

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    humiliating defeatMore neutral: setback

    The phrase characterizes the Justice Department’s failure with a judgement of humiliation rather than stating the outcome.

    …who testified against Trump at the House Jan 6 Select Committee In another humiliating defeat for the Trump DOJ, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., declined to indict…

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Humiliated AgainMore neutral: Grand jury declines to indict Cassidy Hutchinson

    The verb states an emotional judgement about the Justice Department rather than describing the grand jury decision.

    Trump DOJ Humiliated Again as Grand Jury Rejects Cassidy Hutchinson Charges

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

Show 6 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    famously implicated TrumpMore neutral: testified about Trump’s role

    The phrase adds emphasis and a sense of established guilt to what was a witness’s testimony.

    Hutchinson, 29, famously implicated Trump in her testimony before investigators on the House January 6 Committee.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    extraordinary setbackMore neutral: setback

    The word extraordinary adds drama to a routine grand jury decision that the description does not otherwise characterize.

    The rejection of the indictment was the latest extraordinary setback in President Trump’s wide-ranging campaign to go after his political…

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    to go after his political opponentsMore neutral: to pursue charges against his political critics

    The phrase characterizes the administration's prosecutions as pursuit of opponents, a judgement about motive rather than a stated fact.

    …extraordinary setback in President Trump’s wide-ranging campaign to go after his political opponents.

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    goonsMore neutral: Justice Department officials

    Reduces Justice Department officials to a contemptible label instead of naming them.

    Donald Trump’s goons at the Department of Justice have failed to secure an indictment for a key witness who…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    HumiliatedMore neutral: failed

    Turns a failure to win an indictment into a humiliation, adding judgement to a plain report of the result.

    Trump Goons Humiliated as Twisted Vengeance Scheme Collapses

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Vengeance SchemeMore neutral: effort to prosecute

    Presents a motive as an established scheme without evidence in the article.

    Trump Goons Humiliated as Twisted Vengeance Scheme Collapses

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

6 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Trump’s campaign against critics
  • Hutchinson as key witness
  • Repeated Justice Department setbacks
See the 7 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump Dehumanizing label“Goons”Reduces Justice Department officials to a contemptible label instead of naming them.More neutral: Justice Department officialsDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“Humiliated”Turns a failure to win an indictment into a humiliation, adding judgement to a plain report of the result.More neutral: failedDisagree with this highlight? as Twisted Delegitimizing label“Vengeance Scheme”Presents a motive as an established scheme without evidence in the article.More neutral: effort to prosecuteDisagree with this highlight? Collapses

    Donald Trump’s Dehumanizing label“goons”Reduces Justice Department officials to a contemptible label instead of naming them.More neutral: Justice Department officialsDisagree with this highlight? at the Department of Justice have failed to secure an indictment for a key witness who testified against President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Grand jury declines to indict former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson, star witness of Jan. 6 committee

    The failed indictment is one of many for federal prosecutors during the second Trump administration.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeftAssociated Press report

    Grand jury declines to indict ex-White House staffer who testified about January 6

    Cassidy Hutchinson had implicated Donald Trump in US Capitol attack during testimony before House committee The justice department on Tuesday failed to secure a grand jury indictment against a former White House staffer who provided dramatic but disputed testimony against Donald …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeft

    DOJ fails to get indictment against ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson: Sources

    A grand jury has refused to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on charges of lying to Congress over her testimony regarding Jan. 6, sources confirm.

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Grand Jury Declines to Bring Charges Against Cassidy Hutchinson

    The rejection of the indictment was the latest Sensational language“extraordinary setback”The word extraordinary adds drama to a routine grand jury decision that the description does not otherwise characterize.More neutral: setbackDisagree with this highlight? in President Trump’s wide-ranging campaign Loaded verb“to go after his political opponents”The phrase characterizes the administration's prosecutions as pursuit of opponents, a judgement about motive rather than a stated fact.More neutral: to pursue charges against his political criticsDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Grand jury won't indict Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 testimony

    Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., failed to secure an indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • MeidasTouchFar LeftOpinion

    Trump DOJ Loaded verb“Humiliated Again”The verb states an emotional judgement about the Justice Department rather than describing the grand jury decision.More neutral: Grand jury declines to indict Cassidy HutchinsonDisagree with this highlight? as Grand Jury Rejects Cassidy Hutchinson Charges

    The latest failed indictment adds to a growing pile of courtroom defeats, rejected charges, and Loaded modifier“botched prosecutions”The word judges the cases as failed before any ruling on their merits, which the description does not establish.More neutral: prosecutions that failedDisagree with this highlight? targeting Trump's critics.

    Read at MeidasTouch (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Grand jury rejection
  • Former Trump aide
  • Sourced reporting
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • CNBCCenter

    Grand jury rejects DOJ bid to indict ex-Trump WH aide Cassidy Hutchinson: Reports

    Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, testifies during a public hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. …

    Read at CNBC (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    Grand jury refuses to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, AP sources say

    PBS NewsHour published a report that is shown in full at The Washington Times.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Unclear statements at issue
  • Justice Department failure
  • Disputed testimony
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Grand jury declines to indict ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 testimony

    A federal grand jury declined to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to President Donald Trump, after the Department of Justice alleged she lied to Congress in her testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee in 2022. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Grand jury refuses to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, AP sources say

    The Justice Department on Tuesday failed to secure a grand jury indictment against a former White House staffer who provided dramatic but disputed testimony against President Donald Trump before a House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. …

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by PBS NewsHour. It counts once.

  • Daily MailRight

    Grand jury declines to indict Cassidy Hutchinson over testimony about Trump's actions on Jan 6

    The Justice Department opened a federal criminal investigation into Hutchinson earlier this year, a probe initiated by then-AG Pam Bondi just weeks before she departed the agency.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • Just the NewsFar Right

    Justice Department fails to secure grand jury indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson

    It was not exactly clear what the statements were that the Justice Department tried to persuade a jury were not true, but it was likely in regard to her testimony in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee and its investigation of the riot at the Capitol.

    Read at Just the News (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    CBS News, Oct 27, 5:48 PM EDT

  • Center

    1 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 5:49 PM EDT

  • Right

    20 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 6:08 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftOct 27, 5:48 PM EDT
  2. CNBCCenterOct 27, 5:49 PM EDT
  3. Daily MailRightOct 27, 6:08 PM EDT
  4. The New York TimesLeftOct 27, 6:11 PM EDT
  5. ABC NewsLeftOct 27, 6:16 PM EDT
  6. The Washington TimesRightOct 27, 6:38 PM EDT
  7. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 27, 6:40 PM EDT
  8. The GuardianLeftOct 27, 6:40 PM EDT
  9. NBC NewsLeftOct 27, 6:42 PM EDT
  10. Washington ExaminerRightOct 27, 7:04 PM EDT
  11. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 27, 8:03 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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