The US House select committee investigating the 2020 Capitol riots has recommended that criminal charges be filed against former president Donald Trump.
In a unanimous decision, the panel submitted a recommendation to the Justice Department to charge Trump with inciting an insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiring to defraud the US government and making false statements.
Following the conclusion of its meeting on Monday, the seven-member panel, which includes five Democrats and two Republicans, released an executive summary, describing in extensive detail of how Trump tried to overpower, and pressure anyone who wasn’t willing to help him overturn his election defeat.
The full report will be available to the public on Wednesday.
The House panel recommendations aren’t mandatory, and the Justice Department has the full discretion to ignore the charges even though it has been investigating issue independently.
Panel chairman Bennie Thompson said the criminal justice system can provide accountability, adding, “We have every confidence that the work of this committee will help provide a roadmap to justice”, reports AP news agency.
Thompson accused Trump of “breaking the faith” that people have when they cast ballots in a democracy.
“He lost the 2020 election and knew it. But he chose to try to stay in office through a multi-part scheme to overturn the results and block the transfer of power,” Thompson said.
The panel’s Republican vice chairwoman, Liz Cheney, said that every president in American history has defended the orderly transfer of power, “except one”, squarely blaming Trump for the chaos that ensued last year.
(With inputs from agencies)
