US Capitol riot panel weighs insurrection, fraud charges against Trump
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The panel will vote on Monday on recommendations that Mr Donald Trump be prosecuted.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – The US House Jan 6 committee will vote on Monday on recommendations that former president Donald Trump be prosecuted for obstructing an official government proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to two people familiar with the plans.
A charge of insurrection is also under consideration, said one of the people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the committee’s private deliberations.
The committee has scheduled what is likely to be its final meeting for 1pm local time on Monday, when it will consider referring people to the Justice Department for prosecution, as well as to other bodies for sanctions that could include disbarment by state officials.
It will also vote to approve a report of its investigative findings.
A subcommittee of four of the panel’s nine members has met separately to come up with recommendations that will be presented on Monday, including the obstruction and fraud charges against Mr Trump.
Referrals are also being considered for several former Trump associates, including his chief of staff, Mr Mark Meadows; legal advisers John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor; and Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark.
The case stems from an assault on the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021 by a violent mob of Mr Trump’s supporters
“This kangaroo court has been nothing more than a Hollywood executive’s vanity documentary project that insults Americans’ intelligence and makes a mockery of our democracy,” a spokesman for Mr Trump said in a statement.
The committee previously indicated in legal filings that it believed it had evidence that Mr Trump’s involvement amounted to crimes.
A judge later agreed, listing obstruction and conspiracy to defraud as crimes likely to have occurred.
Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California issued a finding in a related legal case in March that, “based on the evidence, the court finds it more likely than not that president Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on Jan 6, 2021”.
Other potential charges against Mr Trump and his associates could be discussed on Monday along with recommendations for civil sanctions.
The referrals would be largely symbolic since Congress has no ability to compel prosecutions by the Justice Department, though the agency has ramped up its own investigations into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and subpoenaed top aides to appear before federal grand juries.
A committee spokesman had no comment last Friday on the subcommittee’s recommendations to the full panel, and chairman Bennie Thompson last Thursday also would not comment.
The subcommittee’s recommendations were earlier reported by the Guardian and Politico. BLOOMBERG
