January 6 Panel Expected To Officially Push For Trump's Prosecution

The House Jan. 6 committee is wrapping up its investigation of the violent 2021 US Capitol insurrection, with lawmakers expected to cap one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes in memory with an extraordinary recommendation: The Justice Department should consider criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, Mary Clare Jalonick reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Liz Cheney has been one of the most vocal GOP members pushing for some form of punishment for the former president's role in the insurrection.

At a final meeting on Monday, the panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans are poised to recommend criminal charges against Trump and his cohorts in the campaign to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

Possible criminal referrals to the Justice Department could be on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and insurrection, according to some media outlets, Patricia Zengerle reported for Reuters.

The Guardian and Politico first reported the possible charges, citing unidentified sources. "We're focused on key players. And we're focused on key players where there is sufficient evidence or abundant evidence that they committed," Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democratic committee member, told reporters at the Capitol last week.

In an analysis, Stephen Collinson of CNN wrote that the committee is expected to unanimously ask the Department of Justice to prosecute former President Donald Trump over his role in the US Capitol insurrection.

The criminal referral, while symbolic, provides added pressure on the Justice Department to move against Trump and his cohorts who worked in tandem to overturn the popular vote in 2020 and torpedo the result of the Electoral College count.

However, the Justice Department’s investigation into January 6, 2021 insurrection, now overseen by a special counsel, has uncovered tons of documents on its own and gathered other pieces of evidence through the hundreds of interviews and a summer of dramatic televised hearings conducted by the committee.

The historic recommendation of prosecution against an ex-president would also lay down a marker for future elections and renegade presidents after an attack on democracy with no parallel.

The final report of the committee will be released on Wednesday (Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Manila), a day after the House Committee on Ways and Means also meets to discuss Trump’s tax returns and perhaps release some of it to a public waiting for it for several years.

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