Stephanie Liebergen
Jan. 6 Panel Urges Criminal Charges Against Former President Trump
The Jan. 6 House committee placed blame on Trump for the insurrection and reiterated key evidence it has acquired in its investigation.
LEARN MOREPosted: 8:24 p.m. EST Dec 20, 2022
From his alleged role in the insurrection to his taxes, House investigations into former President Donald Trump are coming to a head this week.
First, the Jan. 6 Select Committee is wrapping up their investigation — with their final report set for release this week. They want the Department of Justice to pick up where they left off.
"We believe that the evidence described by my colleagues today, and assembled throughout our hearings, warrants a criminal referral of former President Donald J. Trump," said Rep. Jamie Raskin.
The nine-member panel voted unanimously to send four criminal referrals of Trump to the DOJ for:
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding
- Conspiracy to Defraud the United States
- Conspiracy to Make a False Statement
- Acting to "Incite," "Assist" or "Aid and Comfort" an Insurrection
Trump's former acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney thinks the obstruction charge presents the biggest threat.
"So often in this business, it's not the crime, it's the cover up. And if they've got people willing to go under oath and say that Trump or someone on his team offered them benefits or tried to interfere with their testimony, that could be a real problem for him," Mulvaney said.
But the decision to pursue any of those four charges is up to the Justice Department and officials there have a different set of rules to follow.
"The January 6 committee was not a criminal investigation. It was a congressional investigation. And the rules of evidence are very different. For example, look at what Cassidy Hutchinson said, which I think is very credible, would still not be allowed in a criminal trial, because it's hearsay and so forth. So the rules are going to be different," Mulvaney said.
And then there are Trump’s taxes. The House Ways and Means Committee voted Tuesday to publicly release six years of Trump’s tax returns. The records cover not only his personal filings but also those of his companies. The documents are expected to show the former President paid little or no federal income taxes. In the past, Trump said "that makes me smart."
The committee finally got access to Trump’s tax returns after years of fighting in court. A Supreme Court ruling in November cleared the way for the Treasury Department to turn over those records.
