Trump a target at US Capitol riot probe

Trump a target at US Capitol riot probe
The panel investigating the US Capitol riots will decide if Donald Trump should be prosecuted. -AP

The US House of Representatives committee probing the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters will meet on Monday to consider referring the former president for prosecution on as many as three criminal charges against him.

The Democratic-led panel has spent 18 months probing the unprecedented attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power by thousands of Trump backers, inspired by the Republican's false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.

Criminal referrals to the Justice Department could be on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and insurrection.

While potentially damaging to Trump's reputation as he starts a bid for the White House in 2024, any referrals would be non-binding and the Justice Department itself will decide whether to pursue any prosecutions recommended by the committee.

The Guardian and Politico first reported the possible charges, citing unidentified sources.

"Viewing it as a former prosecutor, I think there's sufficient evidence to charge the president," Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, a member of the committee conducting the investigation, told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

The committee is scheduled to meet Monday to consider referrals and vote on its final report, which it expects to release in full on Wednesday. Panel members have declined to provide specifics before the meeting.

"We're focused on key players. And we're focused on key players where there is sufficient evidence or abundant evidence that they committed crimes," Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democratic committee member, said at the Capitol last week.

The select committee's work is one of a series of investigations into the riot. Five people, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the incident and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

A jury has already found members of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia guilty of sedition for their role in the attack and a special counsel, Jack Smith, is leading probes into Trump's efforts to overturn his loss and his removal of classified documents from the White House.

Trump has faced a series of legal problems since leaving office. His real estate company was convicted on December 6 of carrying out a 15-year-long criminal scheme to defraud tax authorities.

Trump has dismissed the many investigations he faces as politically motivated. He says the January 6 committee, dominated by Democrats, is biased against him.