A member of the House select committee investigating last year's deadly assault on the US Capitol said Friday that former President Donald Trump could spend the rest of his life in prison.
During an interview on Yahoo News’ "Skullduggery" podcast, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) described Trump as the "kingpin" of the attack on the Capitol and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Raskin said it was "very clear" that Trump “conspired to defraud the government [and] American people. He traded an honest election for a profoundly corrupt and fraudulent election with counterfeit electors. … I'm very serious about him facing the consequences and paying for the cost of his actions.”
The congressman added that Trump could spend "the remaining days of his misanthropic life behind bars, presumably with Secret Service agents -- some of whom might belong with him, I don't know."
The select committee interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and held explosive public hearings on the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021.
At least five people died after a mob whipped up by Trump's false claims of a stolen election and directed to march on Congress by the defeated president ransacked the seat of US democracy in a thwarted bid to prevent the transfer of power to President Joe Biden.
In their final report, the committee said that Trump should never be allowed to run for public office again.
The report was long on detail but short on new revelations as the committee had already set out its case against Trump over eight blockbuster public hearings in the summer.
Its seven Democrats and two rebel Republicans allege that Trump "oversaw and coordinated a sophisticated seven-part plan to overturn the presidential election and prevent the transfer of presidential power."
The panel has begun turning over evidence to independent prosecutor Jack Smith, who is overseeing federal probes into Trump's role in the riot and his handling of government secrets improperly stored at his Florida beach club.
"If the evidence is as we presented it, I'm convinced the Justice Department will charge former President Trump," committee chairman Thompson told CNN ahead of the report's release.
The twice-impeached 76-year-old Trump is also facing criminal and civil investigations into his business practices and efforts to overturn his election defeat in the swing state of Georgia.
With additional reporting by AFP
W
