The Washington Post : Jan. 6 committee to vote on referring Trump for criminal charges The vote is expected at a public meeting on Monday

Jan. 6 committee to vote on referring Trump for criminal charges

The vote is expected at a public meeting on Monday as the committee prepares to release its final report

Review by Jacqueline Alemany and Josh Dawsey 

December 19, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. EST

Footage of President Donald Trump is played during a hearing in June by the Jan. 6 committee. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is set to vote to refer criminal charges against a former president to the Justice Department for the first time in American history on Monday, concluding an 18-month examination of the insurrection that shook the country’s free and fair election system.

The criminal and civil referrals will precede the release of a final report compiled by the committee that will tell the most comprehensive story to date of the events leading up to the attack and Donald Trump’s role in fomenting it.

The committee is expected to vote on referring Trump for three charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the United States and insurrection. Politico first reported that the three charges would be considered by the panel.

Outside of Trump, it is still unknown what other criminal referrals the committee will make to the Justice Department. A person familiar with the proposed recommendations said that the central actors who aided Trump in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election will be called out by name during Monday’s hearing, but it was unclear whether the committee would formally refer them for prosecution.

While referrals hold no legal weight, people familiar with the committee’s deliberations said the panel intended to make a strong statement about the need to hold accountable those responsible for inciting the Capitol assault — Trump especially.

“They should never be in a position of public trust again,” said a person involved with the committee’s work who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.

The committee will vote on the referrals in a public hearing expected to begin Monday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

The Washington Post  - December 19, 2022