Pending Trump Indictments On State And Federal Levels
By Joe Fotalattee
On Monday, the U.S. Senate’s January 6 committee urged the Justice Department to prosecute civilian Donald Trump for Obstruction of Justice, Inciting And Aiding An Insurrection, Conspiracy To Defraud The United States, And Conspiracy To Make False Statements.
Normally, at The Beat, we avoid repeating a criminal’s name or news outside Vietnam, but the complete lack of coverage in the local Vietnamese press highlights the misunderstanding of US politics on a local level. Therefore, we will share the details of four charges the former president could face from the justice department.
These offenses relate to the former president’s actions during last year’s uprising in the U.S. and his attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The Justice Department will now be the center of attention as it decides its approach to prosecution.
ASSISTING IN AN INVASION OR CAUSING ONE
The committee’s attempt to hold Trump responsible for the riot itself — for both his actions and inaction as well — is exemplified by the inclusion of this statute.
According to the law, Trump did not need to plan his uprising with his supporters. Instead, one could break the law by simply encouraging an uprising or offering support to those who are already taking part in it.
Following the attack on the Capitol, the House impeached Trump on a charge of incitement; however, the Senate later found him not guilty. He urged the crowd to “fight like hell” that day while also directing them to travel to the Capitol.
The committee notes that on January 6, Trump invited rioters to Washington. The committee documented some of the alleged rioters charged by the Justice Department have cited Trump’s tweets encouraging them to come as their inspiration.
The committee reports that once they were inside the structure, Trump displayed no concern when they began chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” and that he resisted advice from advisers to order the mob to disperse for hours.
The committee stated that “the final words of that tweet leave little doubt about President Trump’s sentiments toward those who invaded the Capitol: “Remember this day forever!”.
It’s interesting to note that this statute prevents those who are convicted of it from ever holding public office. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the panel’s vice chair and a Republican, declared that, “Trump can never serve in any position of authority in our nation again.”
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
It is against the law to conspire with another person to commit fraud against the United States. Trump conspired with others, both inside and outside of government, on a “multi-part plan” to remain in power. Despite being informed by aides that no fraud could have affected the outcome, he attempted to overthrow the election. No president in the history of the United States has ever disrupted the traditions of a peaceful transfer of power.
A federal judge in California had previously determined in a different lawsuit that evidence of a criminal conspiracy existed, and the panel also recommended this charge for Eastman.
Members of Trump’s team participated in the same plot, though it did not make an effort to name them all because so many of them refused to cooperate.
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
The committee gathered convincing evidence of Trump’s attempts to obstruct the process, including his call for supporters to travel to Washington on the day Congress was in session. In addition, he pursued a relentless but unsuccessful pressure campaign to have Vice President Mike Pence block the certification of the votes. Additionally, testimony before the committee revealed how Trump bullied state election officials to influence the results of their states’ votes in his favor.
The panel also recommended charges for John Eastman, a conservative attorney, for prosecution under the same statute. Despite being warned by people in Trump’s inner circle that such plans were illegal, Eastman had developed legal strategies to aid in keeping Trump in office.
Dozens of rioters are facing charges of obstructing an official proceeding from the Justice Department. The jury selection in the Capitol riot trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other members of the extremist group started on Monday.
Last month, the obstruction charge against Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, and four other defendants was upheld. Rhodes was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy and was accused of organizing a violent mob to thwart the peaceful transfer of power although he never entered the Capitol.
CONSPIRACY TO MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS
This statute refers to behavior that the Justice Department is already known to be looking into — an alleged plan by Trump allies to submit “fake electors” in battleground states won by Biden as a way to obstruct the certification of the results and invalidate Biden’s victory.
The committee claims that those electors certified “patently false” statements, and it insists it has proof that Trump took part in the fraud.
Grand jury subpoenas were previously served by the Justice Department to the “fake electors” in several states, demonstrating the interest of the prosecution in the matter. State charges for interference can be brought on a state level, so even if the justice department passes on one of the well-documented crimes, indictments are likely to come from individual states and this is not the last of Trump’s legal troubles.
It is time for other countries to recognize there is no room for a leader like this on the world stage, and overseas press should not shy away from exposing corruption that could very much affect their country’s well-being in the future.
