Newsman: The Jan. 6 select committee voted to formally accuse Donald Trump of four crimes, including assisting an insurrection, in his bid to subvert the transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden.
The panel contended that its evidence proved Trump provided “aid and comfort” to a mob that was ransacking the Capitol in service of his attempts to reverse his loss in 2020. It also said Trump could be charged with obstructing Congress’ Jan. 6 joint session, conspiracy to make false statements to the National Archives and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The select panel held its final public meeting Monday afternoon and released the first components of its final report.
The panel also released the 160-page executive summary of its report, capturing the contours of its case against Trump. The panel is readying the enormous cache of evidence for release this week that includes transcripts of more than 1,000 witness interviews and documents that could help prosecutors determine which witnesses might have committed crimes.
“Faith in our system is the foundation of American democracy. If the faith is broken, so is our democracy,” said select panel chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). “Donald Trump broke that faith. He lost the 2020 election and knew it, but he chose to try to stay in office through a multi-part scheme.”
“This can never happen again,” Thompson added.
The recommended referral for insurrection mentions U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling in February, which said Trump’s language plausibly incited violence on Jan. 6 and cited the Senate’s 57 votes in last year’s impeachment trial to convict Trump on “incitement of insurrection.”
Charging decisions rest entirely with DOJ prosecutors, not Congress, but panel members have increasingly stressed the impact their transmission to the department could have on public opinion — viewing it as part of building a historical record around the attack.
The panel was formed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a last resort, after Republicans in the House and Senate jettisoned a bipartisan plan for an independent commission to investigate the causes of the violent assault on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
Pelosi invited Republicans to recommend up to five picks for the select committee, and GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy chose Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Troy Nehls of Texas and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota. But Pelosi objected to the selection of Banks and Jordan, one of Trump’s central allies in challenging the election results. The decision, which Pelosi acknowledged was unprecedented, led McCarthy to withdraw his other choices in protest. Ultimately, that choice led to a panel that was able to operate with near-total unity and secrecy. One of the committee’s two Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), played the most important role and became the energetic force behind the panel’s most significant decisions.
