attorney’s office in Washington before senior Justice Department officials would weigh in and decide how to proceed.īringing a case against Meadows would be more challenging for prosecutors than the case against Bannon, in large part because Bannon wasn’t a White House official during the insurrection. “Department leadership should not apply any doctrine of immunity that might block Congress from fully uncovering and addressing the causes of the January 6 attack.”Ī decision to pursue the contempt charges against Meadows would have to come from career prosecutors in the U.S. Liz Cheney, the Republican committee chair, said at a hearing this week. “The Department of Justice is entrusted with defending our Constitution,” Rep. While an earlier contempt referral against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon resulted in an indictment, the Department of Justice has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows. The House approved a contempt referral against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in December after he ceased cooperating with the Jan. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower-it was a coup in search of a legal theory,” Carter wrote.Īnother point of friction with the Justice Department is the effort to enforce subpoenas through contempt of Congress charges. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. But lawmakers zeroed in on a particular passage in the judge’s opinion that characterized Jan. The practical effect of that ruling was to order the release of more than 100 emails from Trump adviser John Eastman to the Jan. Their message was amplified this week when a federal judge in California - District Judge David Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee - wrote that it is “more likely than not” that Trump himself committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election.
Three days later, lawmakers subpoenaed more than a dozen people involved in the effort.īut the Jan. One example is in late January when Justice announced it had opened a probe into a fake slate of electors who falsely tried to declare Trump the winner of the 2020 election in seven swing states that Joe Biden won. Parts of the department’s investigation have overlapped with the committee’s.
#Raskin bald spot trial#
Over 220 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, more than 100 have been sentenced and at least 90 others have trial dates. More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes. 6 as well as members of extremist groups who are accused of planning the attack. It’s already the largest criminal prosecution in the department’s history - for rioters who entered the Capitol building on Jan. He has, though, vowed to hold accountable “all January 6th perpetrators, at any level” and has said that would include those who were “present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.”
Garland has given no public indication about whether prosecutors might be considering a case against the former president. 6 would trigger a firestorm, thrusting prosecutors back into the partisan crossfire that proved so damaging during the Trump-Russia influence investigation and an email probe of Hillary Clinton.
It all puts Garland, who has spent his tenure trying to shield the Justice Department from political pressure, in a precarious spot. The lawmakers seem nearly certain to send a criminal referral to the Justice Department once their work is through. If it’s not fully prosecuted, they say, it could set a dangerous precedent that threatens the foundations of American democracy. 6 and issue subpoenas to gather information, only the Justice Department can bring criminal charges.Ĭommittee members see the case they are building against Trump and his allies as a once-in-a-generation circumstance. It reflects a stark reality: While they can investigate Jan. Their rhetoric, focused this week on two contempt of Congress referrals approved by the committee, is just the latest example of the pressure campaign the lawmakers are waging. The Department of Justice must do the same,” echoed Rep. “Attorney General Garland, do your job so we can do ours,” prodded Rep. And it’s up to you to do something about it. President Donald Trump and his allies likely committed crimes, they say. 6 attack on the Capitol are increasingly going public with critical statements, court filings and more to deliver a blunt message to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice. WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers investigating theJan.
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