(CNN) — Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol, told reporters Tuesday that the committee decided it recommends that the Justice Department file criminal charges.
“We have decided to recommend imposing criminal charges,” Thompson said. He added that they will issue those recommendations to the Department of Justice, although he said that they have not yet defined the universe of people who might be affected by those charges.
Asked if he believed any witnesses perjured themselves, Thompson replied that “that’s part of the discussion.”
Thompson said the recommendations will be made in a separate document from the panel’s final report that will be sent to the Justice Department.
For its part, a spokesperson for the committee told CNN: “The committee has determined that recommendations to outside entities should be considered a final part of its work. The committee will make decisions on those details in the coming days.”
Another source told CNN that the criminal charge recommendations will ultimately “focus on the main organizers and leaders of the attacks.”
A subcommittee was tasked with giving the commission options on how to present evidence of possible obstruction, possible perjury and possible witness tampering, as well as possible recommendations for criminal charges to the Justice Department, multiple sources familiar with the commission’s work reported. .
Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol.
Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the panel, all trained lawyers, make up this subcommittee.
The decision to issue criminal references has come from the committee. Panel members broadly agreed that former President Donald Trump and some of his closest allies committed a crime by furthering a conspiracy to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, as exposed in their hearings. However, they have long been divided on what to do regarding it, including whether to make a recommendation on criminal charges once morest Trump to the Justice Department.
In the past, the question has led to a vigorous, sometimes contentious debate among committee members, the sources said. Those who previously said the criminal recommendations are not necessary to close the panel’s investigation say the committee lacks prosecutorial powers and the Justice Department does not need Congress to investigate the crimes, as it has its own ongoing criminal investigations into the attack on the Capitol.
Still, the idea of a recommendation for criminal charges once morest Trump, even if entirely symbolic in nature, is a shadow that has lingered over the panel since it was first formed, and many members felt it was a necessary move to complete their worked.
