, Trump should face insurrection, obstruction charges, U.S. Capitol riot panel says -

Trump should face insurrection, obstruction charges, U.S. Capitol riot panel says

The U.S. House of Representatives commission looking into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 requested federal prosecutors to charge Donald Trump for his role in inciting the deadly riot with four felonies, including obstruction and insurrection, on Monday.

It was the first time in history that Congress recommended a former president for criminal prosecution. The Justice Department received the referral from the Democratic-led select committee after the group interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and gathered hundreds of thousands of documents.

Despite the fact that the request does not compel federal prosecutors to take action, it comes at a time when a special counsel is in charge of two other federal investigations into Trump involving the Republican’s efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 election and the removal of classified documents from the White House.

The committee requested that four potential felonies be brought against Trump by the Justice Department: obstruction of a congressional official procedure, conspiracy to defraud the United States, making false statements, and supporting or inciting an insurrection.

A uprising against American authority is known as an insurrection. Representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the Democratic select committee, made the allegations official and stated that it was a serious federal felony that was rooted in the Constitution.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. An inquiry for comment was not answered by a Trump spokesman.

The morning of January 6, Trump delivered a heated address to his supporters outside the White House and openly criticized his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to back his plan to invalidate votes cast in favor of Democrat Joe Biden. Then, as thousands of his followers stormed the Capitol, attacking police and threatening to hang Pence, Trump delayed his public address for hours.

Credit: Reuters

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *