- The report is expected to include eight chapters tracking hearings in June and July.
- The report comes after the panel recommended the Justice Department charge Trump with insurrection.
- The committee also recommended Ethics Committee inquiries for four Republican lawmakers.
WASHINGTON – The final report from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, is expected Wednesday.
The report culminates an 18-month inquiry into what led to the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814 and what happened that day. With Republicans who labeled the panel partisan and illegitimate taking control of the House in January, the report will be the committee’s last opportunity to summarize its findings and make recommendations aimed at preventing another attack.
Here is what we know so far:
Committee urges Justice Department to charge Trump
In an unprecedented move, the committee recommended Monday the Justice Department charge Trump criminally.
The recommendation is nonbinding and the department already has a special counsel investigating Trump. But the evidence the committee gathered could provide a roadmap for prosecutors.
The committee argued Trump violated laws governing obstruction of Congress, inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement. The Justice Department declined comment on the recommendations.
Trump contends criticism from partisan committee helps him politically
Trump, who has called the committee partisan and illegitimate, said the report would help him run for president in 2024.
Trump noted that he wanted to prevent violence on Jan. 6, but spent most of his statement focused on politics.
“These folks don’t get it that when they come after me, people who love freedom rally around me,” Trump said on the Truth Social website. “It strengthens me. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
What does insurrection mean?
Convicting Trump of insurrection could be a high hurdle for prosecutors to clear, according to legal experts. A majority of 57 senators voted to convict him when the House impeached Trump for inciting the insurrection, but he was acquitted for lack of a two-thirds majority.
Part of the challenge in criminal court would be proving Trump’s intent to spark rebellion against the government. Trump contends he was challenging election results as is his right. But lawmakers said criminal intent could be found in Trump’s clash with Secret Service agents over joining the mob at the Capitol and in his rally speech the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, urging protesters to “fight like hell.”
“It’s not an impossible bar, but it is a difficult bar to clear,” said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami. “The problem here, as always, is that you have to prove intent.”
Inciting insurrection:A striking condemnation of Trump – but a high bar for prosecutors
