The House of Representatives committee that investigated the assault on the Capitol on January 6 for more than a year and a half published this Thursday its long-awaited final report of findings, which points to former President Donald Trump as "the main cause" of the violent plot. to reverse the results of the 2020 election.
The more than 800-page document details the actions that, according to the Democratic committee, Trump and his allies took to try to perpetuate the former president in power, an unprecedented event in the history of American democracy.
Lawmakers recommended that the Justice Department criminally indict Trump on four criminal counts and consider barring his further run for president or any public office.
We recount in
five keys the highlights of
the committee's anticipated report, and what impact it is expected to have on the political future of the real estate magnate, who in November announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections.
In this photo provided by the committee investigating the storming of the Capitol, then-President Donald Trump speaks with Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6. AP
1) It wasn't just Trump
While the Select Committee stressed throughout its investigation the pivotal role Trump played in the attack on Congress, the documents it provided also indicate that
the former president received crucial help from lawyers, activists, White House advisers and lawmakers in the Congress.
For example, the nine-member panel recommended that criminal charges of obstruction of Congress and defrauding the government be brought against attorney John Eastman, who they say crafted a step-by-step plan for then-president Mike Pence to undo the victory. Joe Biden election.
[Senate Passes $1.7 Trillion Government Funding Bill, Defeats Two Title 42 Motions]
In fact, one of the biggest obstacles lawmakers faced was the lack of cooperation from some key witnesses, including conservative activist Charlie Kirk and attorney Jenna Ellis, who refused to answer questions.
The committee also studied the importance of other external factors in the Capitol takeover, such as the response of the Capitol Police, the National Guard and the FBI, whose leaders they say were ill-prepared to deal with the riot and failed to act when warned signs of a possible extremist outbreak.
2) "The president is loving this"
Much has been made about Trump's inaction during the attack, but there are text messages that suggest he may have agreed with what was happening.
The final report details one of these instances with great clarity: when aide Robert Gabriel sent a text message saying, "I'm sure the president is loving this," referring to the moment when an angry crowd of his supporters violently stormed the headquarters of Congress to try to stop the certification of the Electoral College votes, The Washington Post reported.
The final report of the assault on the Capitol prepared by the congressional committee comes to light
Dec 23, 202200:25
3) Plan to appoint fake voters
One of the strategies that Trump followed to try to stay in power after losing the presidential election in November was that of so-called fake voters.
The final report elaborates on this plot linked to the assault on the Capitol, according to the review of the documents carried out by CNN.
The plan was to get some key states that Biden had narrowly won to switch their votes in the Electoral College in order to wrest victory from him.
[They reveal how much taxes Trump paid and how much money was returned to him by the IRS]
New evidence the committee presented linked attorney Rudolph Giuliani, representing Trump, and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the scheme to appoint fake voters.
4) Did Trump attack the Secret Service?
The committee was unable to corroborate testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump adviser, who accused him of lunging at a Secret Service member while they were riding in a presidential vehicle after he allegedly refused to take him to the Capitol.
Robert Engel, the Secret Service driver who was driving the vehicle Trump was in on January 6, assured the panel that events did not unfold the way Hutchinson said, and that Trump did not reprimand him for not driving to the headquarters. of Congress, where his supporters were.
Donald Trump reacts to the criminal charges that propose to indict him for the assault on the Capitol
Dec 20, 202201:35
5) The story does not end with the final report
Although the January 6 committee does not plan to publish a new report, it does plan to continue publishing documents related to its investigation.
The effect that some recommendations will have on the Congress is also pending.
The most notable of them: that the constitutional amendment number 14 be applied to Trump.
That amendment establishes that anyone who has "insurrected" or has "aided the enemies of the country" can be barred from running for public office, including the presidency.
Although Trump was already impeached precisely because of the 14th amendment, on that occasion the Republicans in the Senate acquitted him.
Now, with a House of Representatives set to be controlled by the Conservatives after the midterm elections, the proposal is also unlikely to be implemented.
In addition, panel members recommended that certain media and social networking companies be investigated for their role in "radicalizing" their users, some of whom participated in the January 6 insurrection.