On January 6, 2021, supporters of the 45th US President Donald Trump, after a rally in his support, clashed with the police and broke into the Capitol.

On that day, a meeting of Congress was to be held there, at which it was planned to approve the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Recall that Donald Trump, even before the completion of the vote count, began to claim that the elections were being held with violations.

In particular, he stated that the Democratic Party, using stuffing and juggling, ensured the victory of Joe Biden in key states where Trump was originally in the lead.

On the day of the meeting, supporters of the 45th head of the White House gathered for a rally in Washington.

Trump addressed them with a speech, once again calling the results of the vote rigged, and said that he would not admit defeat in the elections.

The protesters marched to the Capitol building in the center of the American capital and soon surrounded it.

They demanded that Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress stop the procedure for approving the victory of Joe Biden and recount the votes.

Later, the Trumpists clashed with the police guarding the building, who responded with tear gas.

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Pushing back the law enforcement officers, the protesters entered the Capitol building, occupying the Senate Hall and several offices, including the workplace of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

As a result, the session of Congress was interrupted, Vice President Pence and legislators were evacuated from the Capitol through underground tunnels.

Trump, who at that time was still holding the post of head of state, recorded a video message in which he called on his supporters to disperse.

A few hours later, the protesters were forced out of the Capitol.

At least five people were killed in the riots, according to official figures.

Subsequently, almost 1 thousand participants were arrested and became defendants in criminal cases.

Criminal recommendations

Investigations following the incident were also opened against Trump himself.

So, a special commission was created in Congress, which was supposed to establish the degree of involvement of the 45th president in the events of January 6, as well as whether it was an attempted coup.

The commission worked for a year and a half and in December 2022 published its final report.

It contained recommendations to the US Department of Justice to begin criminal prosecution of Trump on charges of sedition.

  • Trump supporters storm the Capitol

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  • © Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket

“The main and quite definite conclusion based on this evidence is as follows: the main reason (of the events. -

RT

) on January 6 was one person - former President Donald Trump, followed by many other people.

None of the events of January 6 would have happened without him,” the report says.

The panel members also argued in their final report that there was sufficient evidence to charge Trump with obstructing official process, conspiring to make false statements and commit fraudulent acts against the United States, aiding or abetting an insurrection, and conspiring to harm or hinder an official; and conspiring to overthrow the government.

In addition, among the committee's recommendations is the introduction of a ban on Donald Trump holding the presidency.

Recall that in November, Trump announced that he would again nominate his candidacy for the highest office in the 2024 elections.

However, CNN notes that these recommendations are symbolic and have no legal value, and the US Department of Justice is not obliged to accept them for execution.

At the same time, other American media, such as the pro-republican Fox News channel, noted that the activities of the commission to investigate the events of January 6 are biased.

Thus, Fox News pointed out that the committee includes "seven Democrats and two anti-Trumpist Republicans."

In addition to the US Congress, the FBI is also investigating Trump.

In August, bureau agents searched the ex-president's estate in Florida.

A number of media outlets wrote that the search was allegedly related to an investigation into Trump's misappropriation of White House documents, which he kept at the Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office.

Trump himself called the search of his estate a politically motivated action.

Road to 2024

The former American president, commenting on the results of the investigation by the congressional commission, called the trial a witch hunt and an attempt to prevent him from campaigning.

On his Truth Social, he wrote that the Democratic establishment and certain elements in the US Department of Justice want to prevent him from running for president: “Because they know that I will win and that this whole story with persecution against me (as well as impeachment) is a partisan attempt to take me and the Republican Party out of the game."

  • Donald Trump

  • AP

  • © Rebecca Blackwell

Trump also recalled that Congress had already considered his involvement in the events of January 6 as part of his second impeachment.

“False accusations made by a highly biased unelected committee on January 6 have already been brought and tried in court in the form of impeachment canard #2.

I won a landslide VICTORY.

This is a second persecution, isn’t it?!”

he wrote.

Experts interviewed by RT note that the events of January 6, 2021 have finally undermined the image of American democracy as a stable and sustainable political system.

“This is an unprecedented event.

Prior to this, the elections in the United States were held peacefully, which they were very proud of.

However, the storming of the Capitol happened because of the distrust of voters in the results of the vote.

All this suggests that the electoral system let us down, and political institutions did not fulfill their functions.

The political system of the United States is in a very serious crisis, ”said Yury Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, in an interview with RT.

He added that the Democratic Party and the American establishment certainly see the January 6 investigation as a way to keep Trump out of the 2024 election.

“Investigations are being conducted precisely with the aim of banning Trump from participating in the elections.

However, this is a congressional investigation and is not legally binding.

In addition, the commission has already lost its powers at the expiration of the term of the former congress.

Whether the new convocation of Congress will continue to investigate is not yet clear, ”the political scientist said.

According to Vladimir Vasilyev, chief researcher at the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Trump's further political fate will depend on whether the US Department of Justice brings any charges against him.

“Therefore, now the Republicans want to start an investigation into the activities of the Ministry of Justice, to which the recommendations of the commission are sent.

There may be a conflict: the Department of Justice will bring charges against Trump, and the new congress will accuse the department of abuse of power.

The legal system is used as a means of political struggle.

It is now very difficult to predict the consequences of this confrontation,” the expert says.

Yuri Rogulev agrees with this assessment, noting that it is now difficult to say whether criminal charges will be brought against Trump for attempting a coup d'état.

“This will be not only a legal step, but also political and even foreign policy.

Never before have former American presidents been charged with such charges, ”concluded the political scientist.