According to US senators looking into the violence in the US Capitol last year, Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for allegedly “inciting” the uprising.
The congressional panel unanimously agreed at a public meeting on Monday to refer four criminal charges against Trump to the Department of Justice, which will ultimately decide whether or not to indict the former president.
Inciting, aiding, or encouraging insurrection; interfering with an official action; conspiring to defraud the US; and conspiring to make a false statement to the federal government are the accusations that are recommended.
Congressman Jamie Raskin summarized the panel’s conclusions by saying, “The committee believes that more than sufficient evidence exists for a criminal referral of former President Trump for assisting, or aiding and comforting, those at the Capitol who engaged in a violent attack on the United States.”
He claimed that “the committee has accumulated substantial evidence” that President Trump intends to obstruct the constitutionally mandated peaceful transfer of power.
The Democratic-led committee has argued over the past year that Trump’s fabricated claims of voter fraud were responsible for the riot on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol building as Congress was convening to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
During the panel’s final meeting on Monday, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who serves as vice chair, said that Trump’s inability to urge his followers to stop the attack was not only “illegal,” but also a “absolute moral failure and a clear dereliction of duty.”
Cheney criticized her fellow Republican, saying, “No man who would act that way at that time can ever serve in any position of leadership in this country.” He is not suitable for any office.
This week, the panel is anticipated to present its final report on its conclusions, and before the end of the year, all “non-sensitive records” would be made available to the public.
The committee’s chairman, Congressman Bennie Thompson, stated on Monday that “these transcripts and papers will allow the American people to see for themselves the quantity of material we’ve gathered and continue to study.”
The panel’s actions have been criticized by Trump and his supporters as a politicized witch hunt.
Before Monday’s meeting, the former president chastised the committee and compared their investigation to the years-long probe into potential collaboration between his campaign and Russia, which he called a “hoax.”
Trump, who will compete for president again in 2024, again repeated unsubstantiated claims that Democrats “cheated” in the 2020 election in tweets on his Truth Social platform.
“Those trashing our once-magnificent Country are the actual criminals! He wrote, ”
After the meeting, Trump attacked Cheney, one of his most vociferous Republican opponents who had earlier this year lost her primary to a rival supported by the outgoing president. He did not, however, address the criminal charges brought against him.
But Liz Chaney (sic) suffered a staggering 40-point defeat! He stated this on Truth Social.
However, other observers applauded the panel’s call for US prosecutors to indict Trump, stating that the action is required to prosecute individuals culpable for the violence on January 6 of last year.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups in the US, stated that “today represents a crucial step toward transparency and accountability.” All the organizers, offenders, donors, and individuals who sparked the revolt must be held accountable, according to our leaders and the legal system.
The committee’s work is one of many inquiries into the riot from the previous year.
A number of others involved in the assault on the Capitol have been charged with crimes, including Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers organization, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy last month for his part in the incident.
Reports from Capitol Hill state that hundreds of alleged January 6 rioters have been charged with obstruction of official processes, one of the accusations the panel proposed against Trump on Monday.
The Justice Department is well-versed on that accusation, Hanna added.
“The Justice Department has filed over 900 criminal charges and is likely to file many more in connection with the events of that day. Donald Trump may or may not now be charged with crimes linked to January 6 depending on the Justice Department’s decision.
