The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol shared in its final public hearing on Monday that it is approving criminal referrals for former President Donald Trump and ethics panel referrals for several others in the GOP party.
The full report is set to release to the public on Wednesday. But, during the final hearing, the committee said that Trump was being referred to the Justice Department for obstructing an official proceeding, defrauding the U.S., making false statements, and giving aid or comfort to an insurrection.
Several members of the panel spoke during the final hearing, offering up final thoughts on the committee’s findings.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) shared during the hearing that Trump attempted to abuse the Department of Justice and his power to remain in office, despite losing the election.
“It’s of the utmost importance that our Department of Justice operates as a fair and neutral body that enforces our federal laws without fear or without favor,” Kinzinger said. “It is this critical function that President Trump sought to corrupt, as he sought to use the Department to investigate and prosecute purported election fraud, and to help him convince the public that the election was stolen.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) announced the additional referrals for four members of Congress to the House’s Ethic Committee. The referrals come after they refused to comply with subpoenas from the panel.
The Congress members named are GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (CA) and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Scott Perry (R-PA).
Raskin said the referrals are for “appropriate sanction by the House Ethics Committee for failure to comply with lawful subpoenas.”
“Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail, and the masterminds and ringleaders get a free pass,” Raskin said.
Raskin continued, saying the committee has decided to advance with its referrals because of “where the gravity of the specific offense, the severity of its actual harm, and the centrality of the offender to the overall design of the unlawful scheme to overthrow the election, compel us to speak.”
In making its decision, the committee relied on the opinions of a federal judge in California, who examined emails from Trump attorney John Eastman and decided that evidence of a crime was present.
“The judge concluded that both former President Donald Trump and John Eastman likely violated two federal criminal statutes,” Raskin said.
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