TheU.S. House committee investigating the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, has officially recommended that the Department of Justice lay four criminal charges against former PresidentDonald Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the government and inciting an insurrection.
Saying that Trump “wanted to ride in like Mussolini on the shoulders of the mob,” Maryland Rep.Jamie Raskinannounced that the committee had voted to refer the 75-year-old former president to the Department of Justice for allegedly obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the government, inciting an insurrection and conspiracy to make a false statement.
Raskin added that the committee would refer Trump attorneyJohn Eastmanfor allegedly obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the government.
According to a preview of the committee’s final report, they will also refer four members of congress to the House Ethics Committee for refusing tocomply with subpoenas: House GOP LeaderKevin McCarthy, Rep.Jim Jordan, Rep.Scott Perryand Rep.Andy Biggs.
John Eastman.Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock
Eastman, a former professor at Chapman University, has described himself as Trump’s attorney who was assisting the then-president in his efforts to prove that the 2020 election was “stolen.”
Donald Trump.Brandon Bell/Getty
As the criminal referrals themselves carry no official legal weight, they are largely symbolic — and come just weeks before Republicans gain control of the House, effectively putting an end to the committee’s work altogether. It will now to be up to the Justice Department to determine whether or not to charge the former president or Eastman.
Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty
The referrals come as the Justice Department is already looking into the events surrounding Jan. 6, and has for months been hearing testimony in acriminal probeof the riots.
The committee’s hearings, which began airing publicly in June,have featured new revelationsabout the events leading up to the attacks and how Trump and his allies responded.
Among themost notable allegationsare that Trump at one point attempted to force his Secret Service agents to drive him to the Capitol building himself as his supporters were descending on the building.
The House committee’s final report is set be released Wednesday, and will provide the DOJ additional evidence to work with while they consider potential charges.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Since leaving office in 2021, Trump has continued to express solidarity for the rioters who broke in to the Capitol that day, filming a videoas recently as this monthin which he said they had been treated “very, very unfairly.”
The announcement of the criminal referrals comes amid several otherinvestigations into Trump,including one ofhandling of classified documentsafter leaving office.
source: people.com
