Jan. 6 committee urges prosecution of Trump

Following 18 months of hearings, the House Jan. 6 committee said at its final public meeting on Monday that former President Donald Trump should be charged with four federal crimes that allegedly occurred before and during the U.S. Capitol riot. The charges included aiding an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of an act of Congress. The committee referred Trump for federal prosecution by the Department of Justice—the first time a former president has been referred for criminal prosecution.

Will Trump face charges? Not necessarily. This sort of criminal referral by Congress is largely symbolic. The Justice Department, which is conducting its own investigations of Trump, must decide whether to press charges against him. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the committee’s investigation could provide a “roadmap to justice.”

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about other recent developments in investigations of Trump.