US House Recommends First-Ever Presidential Indictment... 'Cornered' Trump

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The U.S. House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot last year has recommended criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice. For Trump, who has declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, this adds to the existing special counsel investigation and congressional indictment recommendations, making political damage inevitable.

According to CNN and other outlets, the committee adopted a final report containing the indictment recommendation against former President Trump at its last meeting on the 19th (local time), concluding 18 months of investigation.

The House Select Committee concluded that former President Trump bore ultimate responsibility for the January 6 Capitol riot, led by his far-right supporters, after holding a total of 10 public hearings and interviewing over 1,000 witnesses. Accordingly, the committee recommended indicting Trump on four charges: incitement of insurrection, obstruction of official proceedings, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and conspiracy to make false statements.

The 154-page summary released that day stated, "The core cause of the January 6 incident was former President Trump alone," "Trump's false claims (election fraud) incited the violence on January 6," and "Trump's claims of fraud on election day were premeditated." It also included evidence that Trump pressured key judicial officials in battleground states to overturn the election results. Notably, the report labeled Trump as an "insurrectionist."

This is the first time in congressional history that criminal prosecution has been recommended against a current or former president. The decision was unanimous among all nine committee members. Committee Chair Bennie Thompson told CNN in an interview immediately after the meeting, "The evidence leading to the recommendation to prosecute former President Trump is very clear. I am confident the Department of Justice will ultimately indict him," adding, "No one is above the law."

The committee's recommendation is not legally binding, so it is uncertain whether the Department of Justice will accept the indictment recommendation. However, the fact that Congress has explicitly stated the criminal conduct of a former president and recommended prosecution carries significant symbolic weight. The committee will also release its final report on the January 6 Capitol riot on the 21st, which will include transcripts of interviews with over 1,000 witnesses and collected evidence.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is independently conducting a special counsel investigation into former President Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and incitement of the Capitol riot. This increases the likelihood of support for the special counsel's investigation. Local media reported that some of the charges recommended by the House committee overlap with the special counsel's investigation.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

For former President Trump, this means he faces a legal crisis barely a month after declaring his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. After suffering a blow to his reputation due to the unexpectedly strong performance of the Democratic Party in the November 8 midterm elections, Trump’s standing within the party has further weakened due to events such as a dinner with racists and remarks about halting the constitutional process. Recent polls also show him trailing other Republican presidential hopefuls like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. CNN reported, "The ball is now in the Department of Justice's court."

Representative Liz Cheney, a prominent 'Trump critic' within the Republican Party, criticized Trump in her opening remarks that day, saying, "Former President Trump clearly abdicated his duty by not immediately stopping the rioters and is unfit for any public office." This is interpreted as a public statement opposing Trump's 2024 presidential bid.

However, former President Trump strongly rejected the committee's findings on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling them "fake charges created by an extremely partisan committee" and stating, "This has already been dealt with in the form of impeachment and judged." He claimed that the committee, led by Democrats, lacked objectivity and was a partisan body.

Previously, the U.S. House passed an impeachment resolution against Trump on charges of inciting insurrection following the January 6 riot, but it was rejected in the Senate with only 57 votes in favor, falling short of the two-thirds majority required. Republican House members plan to release their own rebuttal document exceeding 100 pages to coincide with the release of the final report on the 21st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.