Jamie Raskin, a Democratic-MD Representative who denies the election, announced Monday that the January 6, Committee would refer President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation for four charges.
These include conspiracy to defraud America; obstruction of an administrative proceeding; conspiracy make a false declaration; inciting, aiding, or comforting an insurrection.
Raskin has also objected to the certification of past election results. This is the act at the heart of the charges that he and the rest on the committee voted unanimously for to refer the former President to prosecution.
Raskin also announced the House Ethics Committee would refer four members of Republican opposition, including Kevin McCarthy (R.I.), who is likely to be the next Speaker of Congress, to sanctions for refusing to comply with subpoenas. After McCarthy’s rejection of McCarthy’s right of choosing minority members of the committee, Democrats took an unprecedented step and targeted the opposition.
The enabling resolution does not give the committee the power to refer criminal cases to the Department of Justice or to sanction members of Congress. It also doesn’t grant the committee the authority to issue subpoenas in the absence of consultation with a “ranking member” of the committee.
It is expected that the committee will be disbanded in the two weeks following the election of the Republican-led House.