Aviva Fried with AFP 07:28, December 20, 2022
The "main cause" of the assault on the American Capitol in January 2021 is Donald Trump: this is the conclusion of a dedicated parliamentary commission of inquiry, in a preliminary report published on Monday.
Its nine members - seven Democrats and two Republicans - recommended that criminal proceedings be launched against the former president, in particular for calling for insurrection and conspiracy against the American state.
The House of Commons Inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol on Monday recommended that criminal charges be brought against ex-President Donald Trump, including for calling for insurrection and conspiring against the American state.
Non-binding, this call is no less historic, because it targets a former head of state, who immediately denounced a maneuver aimed, according to him, at hindering his new candidacy for the presidency.
The nine members of the commission - seven Democrats and two Republicans - voted unanimously in favor of these recommendations during a final public and live meeting, the end of which was greeted with applause in the room.
It is the culmination of 18 months of investigation, during which elected officials interviewed a thousand people, examined a mountain of documents and held high-profile public hearings to prove that Donald Trump was "at the center" of events.
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On January 6, 2021, supporters of Mr. Trump, claiming - wrongly - like him that the 2020 presidential election had been "stolen" from him by Joe Biden, violently attacked the headquarters of Congress in Washington to stop the certification of the results, shaking up American democracy.
Donald Trump has 'broken' faith in the democratic system
By denying reality, Donald Trump has "broken" confidence in the democratic system, denounced Bennie Thompson, head of the commission.
He "lit the wick, poured gasoline on the fire, and sat in the dining room of the White House for hours watching the fire burn, and to this day he continues to stoke these flames,” accused Democrat Elaine Luria.
The number two on the commission, Republican Liz Cheney, Donald Trump's pet peeve, judged that his actions had shown that he was "unfit" to hold new public office.
A few hours later, the main interested party denounced "bogus prosecutions".
"All these stories aimed at prosecuting me are like the impeachment trial -- a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party," he said on his Truth Social network.
"What these people don't understand is that when they come after me, those who love freedom gather around me. It makes me stronger," added Donald Trump.
On January 6, 2021, he called on his supporters to "fight like the devils", without however expressly asking them to invade the Capitol.
Four recommended charges
The four charges recommended by the elected investigators are as follows: incitement to insurrection, conspiracy against the American state, obstruction of an official procedure (certification of a presidential election) and false declarations .
These grounds can lead to prison sentences and the prohibition to assume any public office, while the former president announced that he is relaunching in the race for the White House for 2024.
The commission's vote is largely symbolic, as its members cannot indict the ex-real estate magnate themselves.
It will be up to the Department of Justice, which has appointed a special prosecutor to independently investigate Donald Trump, to decide whether to prosecute him or not.
Bennie Thompson said he was "convinced" on CNN that the department would charge the Republican.
"No one, including a former president, is above the law," he said.
Asked about the subject, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the executive wanted "to be very careful not to politicize this process at all".
At least five people have died in connection with the assault and hundreds have been charged in connection with the violence.
Donald Trump was "at the center" of an "attempted coup"
Responsible for shedding light on the acts and gestures of the former president before and during January 6, 2021, the elected officials sought to show that Donald Trump had tried to keep power when he knew he was beaten.
Donald Trump was "at the center" of an "attempted coup", Bennie Thompson once said.
The commission kept saying there was no way the Republican wouldn't know he lost the election to Joe Biden.
His justice minister, a series of advisers, and even his own daughter, Ivanka... .
Donald Trump is also accused of having pressured his Vice President Mike Pence and election officials, particularly in Georgia and Arizona, to try to invalidate the presidential election.