According to a member of the committee, the Jan. 6 Committee is taking a crucial step in determining whether to make criminal referrals to the Justice Dept.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) revealed to CBS News that a subcommittee would meet on Sunday as part of the procedure in the last days before the report is likely to be presented to the public later in the month.
“We are going to make that proposal to the full committee today as a subcommittee, several of us who were responsible for making the decision about referrals,” Schiff informed “Face the Nation” anchor Margaret Brennan. “We’ll be producing a report, I believe around the 21st, that will include any referral decisions we’ve made.”
Members of the House select committee are looking into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Former President Donald Trump and his followers have slammed the investigation and the committee’s two GOP members, Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
According to recent reports, at least four people, including Trump, former White House Head of Staff Mark Meadows, attorney John Eastman, former Justice Dept. employee Jeffrey Clark, and Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, could face criminal charges.
Schiff stated that the process entails looking at the evidence as well as the “effect” of issuing a referral. “I believe we’re all in agreement that there is proof of criminality here,” he added, “and we want to ensure that the Justice Dept. is informed of it.”
Regardless of whether the Committee makes any referrals on January 6, Schiff highlighted that the Department Of justice can use the material revealed in open hearings as well as in the panel’s report “to enhance their investigations.”
“I believe it makes an important statement, not a partisan one, but a statement about the proof of an assault on our democracy’s structures and the peaceful transition of power, that Congress is willing to expose criminality while investigating an attack on itself,” he added.
