The US House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riots is preparing to vote to urge the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, according to US media reports.
Proposed charges against Trump include insurrection, Politico reported on Friday, citing two unidentified people familiar with the matter.
According to NBC, the committee has yet to make a final decision on criminal referrals, but is actively considering recommending charges of insurrection, obstruction of official congressional proceedings and conspiracy.
While all three recommendations are possible, three different sources actively involved in the committee’s deliberations tell NBC News that a final call has not been made.
The commission, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, will vote on its report and criminal deferments on Monday.
It is investigating the storming of the US Capitol that saw thousands of Trump supporters descend on Congress on January 6, 2021 in a failed attempt to reverse Trump’s 2020 election defeat.
While the congressional jury cannot file a lawsuit against Trump, it can elect to file a criminal referral with the Justice Department if members so choose.
A postponement does not necessarily mean that the Justice Department, which is conducting its own investigation into the riot, will decide to press charges.
Pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol during the rally
Five people, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured.
The committee’s public hearings in which it questioned former Republican aides and key White House personnel about the initiation of the riot shed light on Trump’s role in provoking the unprecedented storming of the Capitol.
Trump told his crowd of supporters he would never concede the 2020 election and urged them to “fight like hell” before marching to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The committee sued the former president following his last public hearing in October.
He initially said he would comply, but then sued to avoid testifying or providing the requested documentation and refused to appear for a deposition.
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Video of the January 6 Capitol riot
The committee has amassed a treasure trove of materials related to the riots, including transcripts of more than 1,000 interviews and millions of other documents.
Read more:
How four hours of chaos unfolded in Washington
Retired police officer jailed for assaulting officer in US Capitol attack
In October, a police officer on duty during the US Capitol riots, Michael Fanone, told Sky News about him he thought he was going to die after being beaten and tasered at the base of his skull, causing him a heart attack and head trauma.
The attack on the Capitol prompted politicians to flee for their lives as people smashed windows and forced their way into the building.
