The investigative committee into the storming of the US Capitol recommends that the Department of Justice criminal investigations against ex-President Donald Trump and confidants. The House of Representatives voted unanimously for this on Monday at its last public hearing in Washington. The committee's recommendation is not binding — the Justice Department makes its own determination as to whether to prosecute the Republican. It is unclear when this decision will come.
Such a recommendation is nonetheless unprecedented. Because the committee accuses Trump, among other things, of rioting, obstructing a public process and conspiring against the US government. The panel's vote is a strong signal, could influence the decision-making process and lead to an indictment. The final report will be presented shortly.
Over the past 18 months, the committee has been investigating how Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Congress on January 6, 2021, when the Republican's election defeat by Joe Biden was supposed to be authenticated. A crowd incited by Trump violently entered the building, killing five people.
The Justice Department must now see if it has enough evidence to file criminal charges against the Republican. The rare offense of rioting is the most serious. It is fulfilled under US law by inciting or participating in insurrection against the authority of the state or the law. This is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to ten years or both. So if Trump is convicted of sedition, he would no longer be allowed to hold political office.
The committee consists of seven Democrats and two Republicans. He is ultimately a toothless tiger as he has no criminal powers. But the body staged the public hearings as a TV spectacle - which should have left a lasting impression on a number of people.
In the course of the investigation, the 76-year-old Trump was heavily incriminated by witnesses. These included former Attorney General William Barr and White House employees. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House employee, was considered a particularly spectacular surprise witness. In the summer, she accused Trump of having been aware of possible violence on January 6, 2021.
"Never before has a president of the United States made a violent attempt to block the transfer of power," said committee chairman Bennie Thompson on Monday at the beginning of the committee's meeting in the US capital Washington. Trump knew he had lost the 2020 presidential election. "In the end he called a mob to Washington," Democrat Thompson said. Responsibility must be assumed for this, which can only exist in the criminal justice system.
The vice chair of the committee no longer considers former US President Donald Trump suitable for political office. "A man who is acting like this at a time like this must never again hold office in our nation, he is not fit for office," Republican Liz Cheney said Monday at the beginning of the panel's final public hearing in the US capital Washington. She was referring to January 6, 2021, when Republican Trump supporters violently stormed the House of Representatives in Washington.
"January 6, 2021 marked the first time that an American president refused his constitutional duty to pass power peacefully to the next," Cheney said. Trump followed the violent riots on television from the Oval Office and did not make a public statement for hours, despite requests from his staff, members of his family and lawyers.
Trump has already announced that he will again run for the Republicans in the 2024 presidential election. Over the past almost 18 months, the committee has been investigating how Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Congress on January 6, 2021, when the Republican's election defeat by Joe Biden was to be authenticated. A crowd incited by Trump violently entered the building, killing five people.
