Bennie Thompson: No Doubt The Justice Department Will Charge Former President Trump

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The January 6 Committee that investigated the attacks on the US Congress yesterday, the last session of its mandate, made a decision on criminal charges against Donald Trump and other officials for acts committed before, during and after that day, and in connection with the attack on this institution.

Trump and his lawyer John Eastman are charged with four counts, while several members of the House of Representatives are reported to the competent ethics committee of Congress for non-cooperation with the Committee. In an exclusive interview with CNN after the end of the Committee's session, Chairman Thompson expressed the hope that the Ministry of Justice will properly evaluate the evidentiary materials submitted by the Committee and that they will prosecute the former US president.

If the Ministry were to initiate a process against the former president, it would be the first such case in the history of the USA.

He said:

"The committee looked at it long and hard, and from my vantage point, we couldn't do anything except make the referral," Thompson told CNN after the panel's hearing on Monday.

"It was clear in the evaluation of the evidence uncovered by our committee that those actions taken by ... former President Trump, clearly created a problem for this country," he added. "I'm convinced that now that our committee has released our information, they will take the information that we've shared with them and proceed with the investigation," Thompson added.

"I have no doubt that once the investigation proceeds and is concluded, if the evidence is as we presented it, I'm convinced the Justice Department will charge former President Trump. No one — including a former president — is above the law." The House of Representatives committee investigating the events of the Capitol riots on January 6th has unanimously approved its final report and has made criminal referrals for former President Donald Trump and others involved in the incident.

In a closed public session on Monday, the committee announced that it had referred reports to the US Department of Justice and other officials against Trump for obstructing official proceedings, defrauding the United States, making false statements, and inciting a coup d'état.

In a statement, the committee said,

"Today marks an essential step toward transparency and accountability. Our leaders and the courts must hold accountable all the planners, perpetrators, funders, and those who incited the insurrection." The final report will not be released to the public until Wednesday.

Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of the two Republicans on the committee, accused the former president of attempting to abuse the powers of the Department of Justice in order to remain in office. He tweeted, "We now turn to the criminal justice system to ensure justice under the law. The American people can ensure [Trump is] never elected again."