The then President had incited his supporters in advance on Twitter and during a rally on January 6, 2021. They should defend themselves on Capitol Hill against the recognition of the election results, Trump demanded. Hundreds of people then violently entered the seat of the US Congress.
A total of five people died and more than a hundred police officers were injured. US MPs entrenched themselves, and the property damage was considerable. A Capitol police officer had testified that she “slipped in the blood of the victims” as the mob entered the Capitol.
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Republican Trump claims to this day that the US elections were rigged and that Joe Biden is illegally in the White House. Dozens of investigations and court decisions have refuted this accusation. Nevertheless, a whole movement in the USA is gathering behind the conspiracy theory. The most serious crime that the committee now accuses Trump of is inciting a riot. The US judiciary understands this as supporting “any rebellion against the authority of the United States or the laws”.
How things will continue now – and what Trump still threatens
The recommendation initially has no formal effects. It is entirely up to the US Department of Justice whether to pursue federal indictments against Trump, potentially barring him from the presidency forever. Incitement to rebellion is punishable by up to ten years in prison. If Trump is convicted of sedition, he should also no longer hold political office.
The Justice Department has already launched investigations into Trump. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who last solved war crimes at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, is leading the investigation into the January 6 allegations and is also pursuing whether Trump illegally withheld confidential government documents from his tenure.
The panel voted on Monday to prosecute Donald Trump.
(Photo: AP)
It is striking that Trump received little support from the Republican party after the committee’s current decision. That was different in the summer, when federal authorities raided his Florida home and confiscated a large number of secret documents. At that time, leading Republicans rushed to help, but this time only a few party friends wanted to defend Trump.
The ex-president may have miscalculated. Trump had announced his renewed candidacy very early on, before all other possible applicants. That, according to those around him in Mar-a-Lago, should mobilize his supporters and party. But the desired effect does not seem to occur. Early polls suggest the 76-year-old’s chances of securing the 2024 nomination are diminishing.
Trump, who otherwise tirelessly tours the country, has not held a single campaign event in recent weeks. Most recently, he promised an “important announcement” – but behind it was only the publication of digital trading cards, so-called NFTs, which depict him as a superhero.
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Trump-backed candidates mostly did poorly in the November midterm elections and lost their races. The first major donors are turning away. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who chairs the investigative committee, strongly criticized Trump. “No man who has behaved in this way should ever again hold political office.” But not only Cheney, other Republicans, too, dare to come out with criticism.
The ex-president is also involved in various legal disputes. Almost ten different investigations are under way against Trump, against his family or his real estate company The Trump Organization. Among other things, it is about suspected tax fraud or the betrayal of state secrets.
In addition, Trump will very likely have to disclose his tax returns, which he had kept hidden for years. There are two lessons from this week: Trump is no longer as well protected from prosecution as he was in the White House. And his party seems less and less willing to stand behind him.
More: Comment – Storming the Capitol: Those who followed the findings of the investigative committee had to be appalled