The U.S. Congressional Special Committee on the Capitol Storm released its final report just before Christmas. In the more than 800-page document, the panel accuses former US President Donald Trump of, among other things, a multi-part conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. The report, published on Thursday evening (local time), concludes almost 18 months after the investigation began: "The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who was followed by many others. None of the events of January 6th January would have happened without him."
At its last public hearing on Monday, the committee recommended that the Justice Department prosecute Trump on four counts. In the document that has now been published, he also advocates excluding the 76-year-old from further public office.
"Our country has come too far to allow a defeated president to turn into a successful tyrant by overturning our democratic institutions, fomenting violence and, as I have seen, opening the door to those in our country whose hatred and bigotry that threaten equality and justice for all Americans," the panel's chairman, Democrat Bennie Thompson, wrote in the report's foreword.
"The work of the Committee of Inquiry underscores that our democratic institutions are only as strong as the commitment of those charged with overseeing them," said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the prologue. Its results should be a call to all Americans to "keep our democracy vigilant and give our vote only to those who dutifully defend our Constitution".
On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters violently entered the seat of the US Congress, where the Republican's election defeat by Democrat Joe Biden was to be authenticated. Five people died as a result of the storming. The committee had been investigating the incident for the past 18 months. The panel staged the public hearings as a TV spectacle that was watched by many people.
It is unclear whether and when there will be criminal proceedings against Trump and others involved, because the committee's recommendations are not legally binding. Nevertheless, the results are a clear signal and prosecution of Trump, who wants to run again as the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, has become more likely.
The allegations against the ex-president weigh heavily: the panel accuses him, among other things, of inciting the crowd to riot. Trump and others involved, such as his former legal adviser John Eastman, are also accused of obstructing a public hearing, conspiring against the US government and making false claims to the state.
Trump himself has always defended himself against the accusations and repeatedly railed against the work of the committee. He dismissed any allegations as politically motivated. After Monday's hearing, the ex-president again attacked the committee, repeating his lie about voter fraud. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger," he wrote on Truth Social, a platform he co-founded.
The Justice Department must now check whether it has enough evidence to take further steps against the Republican: Trump could ultimately be charged. The rare offense of rioting is the most serious: it is committed under US law when 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. If Trump is convicted of sedition, he would no longer be allowed to hold political office.
