WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The House of Representatives committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters will meet on Monday to consider what could be as many as three criminal referrals against the former president.
The Democratic-led panel has spent 18 months probing the unprecedented attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power by thousands of backers of the Republican president, inspired by Trump's false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.
Criminal referrals to the Justice Department could be on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and insurrection, according to multiple media reports.
The Guardian and Politico first reported the possible charges, citing unidentified sources.
The committee is scheduled to meet Monday to consider referrals and vote on its final report, which it expects to release in full on Wednesday. Panel members have declined to provide specifics before the meeting.
"We're focused on key players. And we're focused on key players where there is sufficient evidence or abundant evidence that they committed," Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democratic committee member, said at the Capitol last week.
However, the impact of any referrals is not clear because it is up to the Justice Department to decide whether to pursue charges.
The select committee's...
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the stock market had “hit a new high” on Thursday, while the Dow plunged over three hundred points. Trump spoke to press while visiting the Lincoln Memo...