The House Select Committee wrapped up its investigation with criminal referrals to the DOJ. The decision to take those referrals and move to prosecution rests with Attorney General Merrick Garland, but he would have to be totally tuned out not to take what the committee shared and not run with it. The vote from committee members was unanimous. As reported by ABC News, the committee referred Trump for obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and inciting, assisting, and aiding an insurrection. Trump has always wanted to be the center of attention, and he now holds a spot that no other president has held: the first to be referred for criminal charges. Congratulations, Trump. He is joined in the referrals by John Eastman.

Trump can call this finding politically motivated all he likes, but he clearly knowingly and willingly violated the Constitution and broke the law before, on, and after January 6. It has been proven over and again that no fraud occurred in the 2020 election and that Trump was simply beaten by the will of the American people. Throughout history, presidents have lost reelections, but none have behaved in any manner even slightly resembling Trump’s behavior. His allies are just as bad, and it is the committee’s intent that they, too, are recognized for their role in this blatant lie that turned our country upside down. ABC News discussed Hope Hicks and how, as one of the people closest to Trump, having worked for the Trump Organization and coming to the White House with him, told Trump that there was no evidence of fraud and that she had urged Trump to tell people planning to come to the Capitol on January 6 to do so peacefully. Instead, knowing that many of those in attendance were armed, Trump riled them up. He did so willfully because the attention always must be on him. Hicks testified that despite her urgings, Trump refused. Trump knew what he was doing, and these criminal referrals cannot spell that out more clearly.

Trump never read the Constitution nor much of anything else, yet he was surrounded by people who knew that the Constitution didn’t follow what he proposed, including having Mike Pence reject the legitimate votes of the people. Pence knew, and he refused to go along with Trump’s plan. The thing is, the DOJ is already investigating many of these same charges. While the committee cannot indict Trump, they have certainly assisted the agency that can. What the committee presented merely reenforces what the DOJ is already investigating, and Trump can expect an indictment in the new year rather than his intended plan to run for reelection. As the committee found, Trump was the “central cause” for what happened on January 6, 2021. He lied, he tried to steal, and he created turmoil from which we may never recover. All we need to say to Trump is what Mr. Potter yelled to George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life:” happy New Year in jail.

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