U.S. House Jan. 6 Panel Says Trump Engaged In 'Criminal Conspiracy'

The House Committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection said Wednesday night (Mar. 3, 2022 in Manila) its evidence shows former President Donald Trump and his associates engaged in a “criminal conspiracy” to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election, spread false information about it and pressured state officials to overturn the results, Eric Tucker, Farnoush Amiri, and Mary Clare Jalonick reported for the Associated Press (AP.)

Photo Insert: A photo from the Jan.6 crowd as they are incited by Donald Trump to storm the US Capitol

The committee made the claims in a filing in response to a lawsuit by Trump adviser John Eastman. Eastman, a lawyer who was consulting with Trump as he attempted to overturn the election, is trying to withhold documents from the committee as it investigates the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

The committee argued there is a legal exception allowing the disclosure of communications regarding ongoing or future crimes HuffPost also reported.

“The Select Committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the US,” the committee wrote in a filing submitted in US District Court in the Central District of California.

The 221-page filing marks the committee’s most formal effort to link the former president to a federal crime, though the actual import of the filing is not clear since lawmakers do not have the power to bring charges on their own and can only make a referral to the Justice Department.

The department has been investigating last year’s riot but has not given any indication that it is considering seeking charges against Trump.

The committee members previously said they will consider passing along evidence of criminal conduct by Trump to the US Justice Department. Such a move, known as a criminal referral, would be largely symbolic but would increase political pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge the former president and would thrust his department into a political firestorm.

"Evidence and information available to the Committee establishes a good-faith belief that Mr. Trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts," the committee said in a court filing, Jan Wolfe and Patricia Zengerle reported for Reuters.

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