WASHINGTON — In an unprecedented step in American history, the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol unanimously recommended Monday that former President Donald Trump be criminally prosecuted for insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to the federal government and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The referrals for Trump and others in his orbit are nonbinding recommendations and cannot compel the Justice Department to act. But they show the committee believes it has gathered sufficient evidence to prove Trump provided “aid and comfort” to a mob that ransacked the Capitol and actively tried to prevent the peaceful transition of power to a new president selected by voters, Joe Biden.
“Every president in our history has defended this orderly transfer of authority, except one,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the panel’s vice chair. “January 6, 2021, was the first time one American president refused his constitutional duty to transfer power peacefully to the next. In our work over the last 18 months, the select committee has recognized our obligation to do everything we can to ensure this never happens again.”
