The House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has made multiple criminal referrals targeting former President Trump, recommending that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate the ex-president for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and obstruction of an official proceeding.
The referrals mark the culmination of the committee’s 18-month probe of the Jan. 6 attack and the role Trump played before, during and after the riot. The panel’s central case is that Trump was at the center of a conspiracy to keep himself in power, upending the results of the 2020 election.
Investigators on the committee said they decided on criminal referrals against Trump based on sufficient evidence showing that he violated various statutes: inciting, assisting, or aiding and comforting an insurrection; obstructing an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement; and other conspiracy statutes.
The recommendations themselves are largely symbolic, as the DOJ is not required to look into referrals from Congress. The DOJ also is conducting its own investigation into the Capitol riot that was recently put under the purview of an independent special counsel.
The news comes as Trump has launched a third run for the White House in 2024.
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Read: Jan. 6 panel's full executive summary of its findings.