Jan. 6 panel could make multiple criminal referrals of Trump to DOJ, Cheney says
Source: nbc news
"There could be more than one criminal referral, said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., vice chair of the committee. Well make a decision as a committee.
July 3, 2022, 2:29 PM CDT
By Peter Nicholas
WASHINGTON House Jan. 6 committee members said Sunday that they may make criminal referrals to federal prosecutors involving former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
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Asked whether she was worried about prosecuting a former president who may soon announce another presidential bid in 2024, Cheney said: I have greater concern about what it would mean if people werent held accountable for whats happened here.
The panel has been conflicted over whether to refer its findings to the Justice Department. Last month, the committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters that "we do not have authority" when he was pressed about whether the panel had ruled out the possibility of referring criminal charges for Trump.
As the committee continues to gather new evidence, other members seem to be coalescing behind a referral, which would ratchet up pressure on the Justice Department to investigate Trumps actions. So far, the department has said federal prosecutors were looking into the scheme to push slates of bogus Electoral College members declaring Trump the winner of states that Joe Biden won..............................................
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jan-6-panel-make-multiple-criminal-referrals-trump-doj-cheney-says-rcna36517
I really wonder if the committee will make a criminal referral.
Link to tweet
?s=20&t=9gtTVfJFaBmii1kvxz7JCg
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., questions Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as she testifies on June 28, 2022.
BigmanPigman
(51,608 posts)"Asked whether she was worried about prosecuting a former president who may soon announce another presidential bid in 2024, Cheney said: I have greater concern about what it would mean if people werent held accountable for whats happened here.
J_William_Ryan
(1,753 posts)A fundamental tenet of our democratic institutions is that political opponents are not subject to criminal prosecution thats the stuff of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, such as Russia.
Trump and his supporters calling for Hilary Clinton to be locked up is an example of that and the rights contempt for our democratic institutions.
In addition, a future Republican administration could likely subject former President Biden to criminal prosecution; such a prosecution would be purely partisan and devoid of merit, of course, but the precedent would nonetheless exist, available to Republicans for political revenge.
Moreover, prosecuting a former president could undermine a serving presidents efforts to address terrorist and other national security threats such as ordering the killing of a US citizen living abroad planning a terrorist attack against America and its allies.
Some will respond that we shouldnt allow the above from preventing us seeking justice against Trump and his fellow criminals, that if warranted they should be punished for their crimes, and by doing so would be in the service of justice and preservation of our democratic institutions.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)without criminal consequences.
What sort of message are we sending if we tell any future wannabe dictator that there will be no consequences no matter what he does?
bucolic_frolic
(43,176 posts)The State must protect itself first and foremost. There are crimes, and then there are crimes against the State itself. You can't politicize a non-crime and make it stick in court. But you also can't politicize an actual crime to make any charges go away. Whitewash doesn't fix anything, it just erodes the State.
We have no laws, no justice, no country if we let treason go unfettered.
Trump's actions were not POLITICAL they were CRIMINAL.
Do you understand the difference?
Do you really think we, as a nation of laws and not people, should worry about what might happen if we do the right thing in pursuit of Justice? Should we really worry about a "what-if" while Trump & CO. try to dismantle our democratic republic?
Let the chips fall where they may. If Republicans are able to regain power and want to retaliate, let's deal with that if it happens. Worrying about a potential problem when we are facing an existential attack seems pathetic because if we don't hold Trump accountable, we don't have much of a country left anyway.
I wholly endorse your last paragraph but the rest is fearful nonsense.
durablend
(7,460 posts)Lack of precedent or 'tradition' be damned.
calimary
(81,304 posts)A Republican DEFINITELY wouldn't hesitate to nail a Democrat if that Repub thought there was any way to make it stick.
Botany
(70,516 posts)I have greater concern about what it would mean if people werent held accountable for whats happened here.
Liz's dad should have been prosecuted for starting a war so he could steal Iraq's oil but that is never going
to happen so if she nails Trump's hide to the wall now all I can say is; Go LiZ Go!