'Retribution at its worst': Lawyer stunned by Trump DOJ's new probe

A lawyer was stunned on Monday while discussing a new civil rights investigation the Trump DOJ is undertaking.

In a new episode, Shant Karnikian, a lawyer and co-host of the "Civil Unrest" podcast, discussed the Trump DOJ's civil rights probe into Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump administration staffer who testified against the president during the inquiry into the Jan. 6 insurrection. On April 7, the New York Times reported that the DOJ is investigating whether Hutchinson lied to Congress.

"This is political retribution at its worst," Karnikian said.

Karnikian noted that the probe appeared to focus on a couple of statements. In one, Hutchinson claimed that President Donald Trump reached out and tried to grab the steering wheel of "The Beast," the president's car, on January 6 to return to the Capitol. She also testified that Trump did not do anything to protect former Vice President Mike Pence during the insurrection.

Karnikian also recalled Hutchinson testifying that she was coached by Trump's ethics lawyers ahead of her testimony. Hutchinson said she felt pressured to tell the court that she "didn't recall" certain details.

"That's despicable stuff," Karnikian said.