OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The House January 6 Committee is holding its final meeting on Monday ahead of Republicans taking over the chamber next month after winning a majority in the midterms. Reports say that the committee’s members are expected to take some sort of action against former President Donald Trump and some of his allies.
Fox News noted: “The committee, which subpoenaed Trump in October, will present its final findings after a nearly 18-month probe. It is also expected to issue several criminal referrals to the Justice Department, but all eyes are on whether Trump himself will be included in the action.”
“No one is really certain” what is going to happen, a senior Republican aide told Fox News. “They subpoenaed Trump [but] that doesn’t seem to have led to much.”
The outlet noted further that it’s unclear whether Trump has cooperated with the panel. He launched his 2024 bid for the GOP presidential nomination during an event at his Mar-a-Lago estate last month.
Fox News added:
At Monday’s meeting, the committee’s members, seven Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans, will each present a portion of their findings. Some will also summarize the investigation, others will focus on the alleged ties between Trump staffers and extremist groups that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
While some evidence presented is likely to be new, few believe the committee has anything close to a smoking gun implicating Trump.
The panel is also expected to issue a final report before the GOP takes over the chamber.
Sources spoke to Politico earlier this month about the “chapter list” that will be in the report, which will be released before Republicans take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in early January.
“The committee members are expected to formally approve the report at a Dec. 21 public meeting of the panel described by Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). Lawmakers will be able to propose final edits before the draft is expected to be sent to the Government Publishing Office for printing later this week. The final report, according to those briefed on it, will have eight chapters that align closely with the evidence the panel unveiled during its public hearings in June and July,” the report stated.
Below are the supposed “chapters” of the final report:
–Trump’s effort to sow distrust in the results of the election
–Trump’s pressure on state governments or legislatures to overturn victories by Joe Biden
–Trump campaign efforts to send pro-Trump electors to Washington from states won by Biden
–Trump’s push to deploy the Justice Department in service of his election scheme
–The pressure campaign by Trump and his lawyers against then-Vice President Mike Pence
–Trump’s effort to summon supporters to Washington who later fueled the Jan. 6 mob
–The 187 minutes during which Trump refused to tell rioters to leave the Capitol
–An analysis of the attack on the Capitol
The 8 chapters:
1) The Big Lie
2) State/local govt pressure
3) False electors
4) Effort to corrupt DOJ
5) Pence pressure campaign
6) Summoning the mob
7) 187 minutes of inaction
8) Analysis of the Capitol attackhttps://t.co/7FUwOpjYqK— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 12, 2022
Thompson told reporters last week that the panel has not yet narrowed down the individuals who may be referred to the DOJ. When a reporter asked Thompson if he believed any witnesses perjured themselves when they testified before the committee, he said, “that’s part of the discussion.”
Last week, reports noted that members believe Trump is criminally culpable for the riot that consumed the Capitol Building in January 2021 and is planning to decide his fate early next week, just days before a new Republican majority takes control of the chamber.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, members of the panel believe that Trump could be guilty of at least three criminal charges, including “insurrection,” and plan to recommend that the Justice Department pursue a case against the former president.
Politico added:
The report that the select panel is expected to consider on Monday afternoon, described to POLITICO by two people familiar with its contents, reflects some recommendations from a subcommittee that evaluated potential criminal referrals. Among the charges that subcommittee proposes for Trump: 18 U.S.C. 2383, insurrection; 18 U.S.C. 1512(c), obstruction of an official proceeding; and 18 U.S.C. 371, conspiracy to defraud the United States government.
It’s unclear whether the select committee’s final report will recommend additional charges for Trump beyond the three described to POLITICO, or whether it will urge other criminal charges for other players in Trump’s bid to subvert his 2020 loss. The document, according to the people familiar, includes an extensive justification for the recommended charges.
