January 6 committee considering asking DOJ to pursue at least two criminal charges against Trump
CNN
By Jamie Gangel and Katelyn Polantz, CNN
The House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, is considering asking the Justice Department to pursue multiple charges against former President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The charges being considered include obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the federal government. The recommendations match allegations the select committee made against Trump and his elections attorney John Eastman in a previous court proceeding seeking Eastman’s emails.
A judge had agreed with the House, finding it could access Eastman’s emails about his 2020 election work for Trump because the pair was likely planning to defraud the US and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct Congress, according to that court proceeding.
The final committee report could include additional charges proposed for Trump, according to the source. It will provide justification from its investigation for recommending the charges.
Politico was first to report on the committee’s consideration of the charges.
The impact House referrals could have remains unclear because the Department of Justice special counsel investigation is already examining Trump in its extensive probe into January 6.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a member of the committee, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Friday that the panel has “been very careful in crafting these recommendations and tethering them to the facts that we’ve uncovered.”
“We spent a huge amount of time not just on what the code sections are and the bottom line recommendation, but the facts — and I think it’s really important when we discuss whatever it is we are going to do and we’ll have a vote on it, that people understand the facts behind the conclusions we reach,” the California Democrat said on “The Lead.”
The Justice Department has largely focused on criminal statutes related to the violence, for obstructing a congressional proceeding and in some limited cases for seditious conspiracy, when charging defendants in connection with the attack on the US Capitol.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
