The painful conclusions of Donald Trump from the House Investigative Committee

Donald Trump should be prosecuted as a criminal, for very serious acts. That is the conclusion — both symbolic and historic — that the House Committee on Investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. During its most recent public hearing, on Monday, December 19, the committee reserved four possible grounds for indictment: obstruction of an official proceeding (certification of results in Congress after Joe Biden’s victory), conspiracy against the United States, and conspiracy to make false advertisements (alternative voter lists) and, ultimately, instigating or aiding insurrection.

The nine elected members of the House of Representatives believe they have sufficient evidence, at the end of their mammoth eighteen-month work, to make these recommendations to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The latter is in no way obligated to adopt it. This is where the subtle difference between parliamentary work, as rigorous and plentiful as it is, comes into play, and building an indictment that must stand up to a grand jury that will decide potential prosecutions.

For the committee, Donald Trump’s responsibilities are indisputable, as detailed A 160-page summary published Mondaybefore the full report on Dec. 21. This engaging text relies primarily on the testimony of close advisors. He managed to piece together all the pieces of the dark project that was meant to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. A coup attempt was made and failed. At the helm was Donald Trump, intoxicated with his lies, willing to burn it all out rather than lose it all.

Long before the presidential election on November 3, 2020, Trump had planned to contest an unfavorable outcome, regardless of the advice of his advisors. Then he unleashed a campaign of lies about fictional scams, while collecting significant money (nearly $250 million) from his supporters. He has tried to promote alternative lists of electors in some key states, put pressure on local polling officials like Georgia, pushed the Justice Department to endorse his lies, and asked his vice president, Mike Pence, to block the results from certification in Congress. Then Donald Trump doubled down on rallying calls no later than January 6th, activating armed extremist groups such as the Pride Boys or the Oath Keepers, so that his supporters could march toward Congress.

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