Members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on Capitol Hill said Sunday they have gathered enough evidence for the Justice Department to consider an unprecedented criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump for trying to reverse the results of the 2020 elections.
The committee announced that Trump campaign manager
Bill Stepien is among the witnesses scheduled to testify at Monday's public hearing
, which will focus on Trump's efforts for a conspiracy theory about alleged voter fraud that never could. prove before the courts.
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As the hearings unfold, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he would like the Justice Department to "investigate any credible allegations of criminal activity by Donald Trump."
Representative Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the Select Committee investigating the assault on Capitol Hill, in a June 9, 2022 photo. Andrew Harnik/AP
The committee held its first public hearing last week, in which the committee laid out its case against Trump to show how advisers to the then president rejected his claims that he had been a victim of voter fraud and how he tried to come up with various schemes under those circumstances. to nullify Joe Biden's victory.
New evidence is expected to be presented at hearings this week.
Among other things, the panelists explained that they will demonstrate how Trump, with the help of some of his advisers, spread lies about the election, pressured the Justice Department and urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification of the Electoral College votes on the 6th. January 2021.
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Stepien, a longtime Trump ally, is now a top campaign adviser to Trump-backing House candidate in the Wyoming Republican primary, Harriet Hageman, who is challenging Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the Select Committee. and one of the biggest criticisms of the former president.
A Trump spokesman, Taylor Budowich, suggested the Select Committee's decision to recall Stepien was politically motivated.
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The list of witnesses scheduled to appear Monday includes BJay Pak, the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta who left office on Jan. 4, 2021, a day after an audio recording was made public in which Trump disqualified him for not being on his side, and Chris Stirewalt, the former politics editor at Fox News.
The committee has said that most of those interviewed in the investigation come forward voluntarily, although some have asked to be summoned to appear.
Filmmaker Nick Quested, who provided documentary footage of the attack, said during last week's hearing that he was coming after receiving a summons to appear.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland will be the one to decide whether his department can and should prosecute Trump, given the evidence presented against him.
The lawmakers left no doubt as to their own opinion on whether the evidence is sufficient to proceed against the former president.
"When the Justice Department has all the evidence, it will have to make a decision as to whether it can prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt the guilt of the president or anyone else," Schiff explained.
"But they should be investigated if there is credible evidence, and I think there is," she added.