The House of Inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault on Monday unanimously recommended criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, including one for calling for insurrection.
The commission of inquiry also recommended that the former president, judged “unfit” to occupy new functions of power by the number two of the group of elected officials, be prosecuted for obstructing an official procedure (of certification of the results of a presidential election), conspiracy against the American state and false declarations.
The commission members — seven Democrats and two Republicans — began around 1 p.m. to present the findings of their lengthy investigation into January 6, 2021, during which they interviewed a thousand people, reviewed a mountain of documents and held hearings. highly publicized public.
That day, supporters of former President Trump, claiming – falsely – like him that the 2020 presidential election had been “stolen” from him by Joe Biden, violently attacked the headquarters of Congress in Washington to stop the certification of the results. , shaking American democracy.
“Putting a ballot in the United States is an act of faith and hope,” said Democrat Bennie Thompson, head of the commission.
“This faith in our system is the foundation of American democracy. If trust is broken, so is our democracy. Donald Trump has broken that trust. He lost the 2020 election and knew it, but he chose to try to stay in power,” he added.
The number two on the commission, Republican Liz Cheney, Donald Trump’s pet peeve, said his actions had shown that he was “unfit” to hold new public office.
“Anyone who behaves like this at this time can never hold a position of power in this country again,” she said.
At least five people have died in connection with the assault and hundreds have been charged in connection with the violence.
The commission members must decide whether or not to recommend that the United States Department of Justice indict Donald Trump for calling insurrection, obstructing an official process (certifying the presidential ballot) and conspiracy against the American state, according to several media.
Three counts that could result in prison terms and a ban on holding any public office, as the former president announced he was re-entering the race for the White House for 2024.
Other people in the entourage of Donald Trump could be concerned. The final investigation report is due out on Wednesday.
“Proofs”
The commission’s vote is largely symbolic, as its members cannot indict the ex-real estate magnate themselves.
It will be up to the Justice Department, which has appointed a special prosecutor to independently investigate Donald Trump, to decide whether to prosecute him or not.
“I think the evidence is there that Donald Trump committed criminal offenses in his efforts to overturn the election,” elected Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the commission, told CNN on Sunday.
Ahead of the hearing, Donald Trump has already stormed on his platform, Truth Social, against the possible recommendation of the commission – qualifying its members in his usual style of “social cases and thugs”.
Mr. Trump notably defended the speech he gave on January 6, 2021 and his other actions that day as being “moderate and full of love”.
At the time, he called on his supporters to “fight like the devil”.
Pressures
Responsible for shedding light on the acts and gestures of the former president before and during January 6, 2021, the elected officials sought to show that Donald Trump had tried to keep power when he knew he was beaten.
Donald Trump was “at the center” of an “attempted coup”, commission head Bennie Thompson has previously said.
The commission kept saying there was no way the Republican wouldn’t know he lost the election to Joe Biden.
His Secretary of Justice, a series of advisers, and even his own daughter, Ivanka… In testimony to the camera, several members of Donald Trump’s close guard said they did not believe his theories of “electoral fraud”.
Donald Trump is notably accused of having put pressure on his vice-president Mike Pence and on electoral officials, in particular in Georgia and Arizona, to try to invalidate the presidential election.
A former White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, also said the president knew that in the crowd gathered just outside the White House, some protesters were armed and potentially dangerous.