The committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol will hold its final meeting Monday, ending a year-and-a-half investigation with criminal referrals to the Justice Department.
The Committee, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, held nearly a dozen hearings and collected thousands of documents as it worked to create a more complete record of the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
The committee’s chairman, Congressman Bennie Thompson, said criminal referrals would be made to the Justice Department recommending prosecutions, but he did not disclose their targets or whether former President Donald Trump would be among them.
The committee focused squarely on Trump and the then-president’s efforts in the weeks leading up to the attack to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election, which gave victory to Democrat Joe Biden.
It will be up to federal prosecutors to decide whether to press charges.
Lawmakers have suggested that the charges against Trump could include conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct the official process of Congress.
The Committee’s recommendations would increase political pressure on the Justice Department as it investigates Trump’s actions.
The commission is expected to release its final report on Wednesday, which could include hundreds of pages of findings on the attack and on Trump’s efforts to subvert democracy in the country.
Committee members will review the highlights of their findings at Monday’s meeting.
Last month, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel, Jack Smith, to oversee Trump-related investigations, including one focused on the insurgency and attempts to overturn the election results of 2020.
Bennie Thompson said this week that the Committee can also approve other types of references, including ethics violations, legal misconduct and campaign finance violations.
On January 6, 2021, summoned by Donald Trump, thousands of Americans headed to Washington to protest the result of the presidential election, which gave victory to Joe Biden.
The invaders attacked the Capitol in chaotic fashion after being incited at a nearby Trump rally.
The former Republican president, who had urged his supporters not to accept the election result, was immediately the subject of an ‘impeachment’ process in Congress, but was acquitted thanks to senators from his party.
Source: TSF
