MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Committee wants Trump charged over Capitol Hill events

The Committee needed to speed up the release of its findings before the new Republican majority dissolves the body next month

The United States Congressional Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on Capitol Hill has called for former President Donald Trump to be indicted, although the final decision on the matter is up to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

 Trump is already under investigation for his possible involvement in these events and also por the possession of classified documents found in his Mar-a-Lago (Florida) residence after his departure from the White House.

The Committee found that Trump obstructed an official proceeding and incited or supported an insurrection, as well as conspired to defraud the federal government and to make false statements to the administration. “The entire purpose and obvious objective of Trump's scheme was to obstruct, influence, and impede the lawful transfer of power in the United States,” Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin argued while insisting that Trump “had a formal and informal arrangement with a number of people who helped him with his criminal objectives.”

Raskin's recommendations to the Justice Department explicitly cited Trump's attorney John Eastman with charges of obstructing an official proceeding and conspiring to defraud the federal government. “We understand the gravity of each and every suggestion we are making today, just as we understand the magnitude of the crime against democracy that we describe in our report, but we have gone where the facts and the law take us, and they inevitably take us there,” Raskin said.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a group of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Hill building as Democrat Joseph Biden's victory in the November presidential election was being ratified. There were 5 dead and about 140 law enforcement officers were injured.

Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria insisted Trump had “poured gasoline on the fire” as he watched the events unfold on TV doing nothing to secure a peaceful transition.

The nine-member Committee (7 Democrats and 2 Republicans) is expected to unanimously issue on Wednesday its recommendations that Trump and Eastman be charged. These findings need to go public before the beginning of the new Legislature on Jan. 3, when the new Republican majority is expected to dissolve the body.