The Jan. 6 committee’s compelling case against Donald Trump | Editorial

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol wrapped up its hearings for the summer with plans to return in September. More bombshells may emerge, but the committee has already made a strong case to prosecute Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Ultimately, the Justice Department will decide whether to move forward with an indictment against Trump. Possible charges include defrauding the United States, obstructing an official proceeding of Congress, and seditious conspiracy. A case could be made for treason, though that bar is high.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has rightly said no one is above the law, though federal prosecutors appear cautious. Fortunately, state prosecutors in Georgia are plowing ahead.

Some argue that filing criminal charges against Trump would tear the country apart and spark unrest. But not holding Trump accountable would be worse. Giving Trump a pass signals that presidents can do as they please — even if it amounts to dereliction of duty and violating the oath of office.

For those willing to follow the facts, the evidence from the eight televised hearings is clear: Trump spearheaded a criminal conspiracy centered on a lie about election fraud as part of a coup attempt.

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Trump pressured officials in several states, including Pennsylvania, to undo an election, and even told Georgia’s secretary of state to find him enough votes to overturn the outcome in that state.

He pressured the Justice Department to claim the election was corrupt even after being told repeatedly there was no fraud and after state and federal judges rejected more than 50 lawsuits alleging election wrongdoing.

Trump conspired with an inner circle of extremists, opportunists, and elected officials in a series of undemocratic schemes designed to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president — including seizing voting machines and creating fake electors, a move that even his enablers knew was illegal.

Trump also sparked a violent insurrection. He summoned a mob of supporters to the Capitol, where he said it “will be wild.” Despite being told protesters waiting for him to speak were armed, Trump whipped up the crowd and told them to “fight like hell.”

The insurrectionists then stormed the Capitol. Some hunted for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as one protester said “to shoot her in the friggin’ brain.” Others chanted to hang Vice President Mike Pence.

Where was Trump? Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) said Trump “gleefully” watched the deadly riot unfold on TV for hours and “didn’t do anything.”

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Not only did Trump fail to stop the violence, he fueled the fire. As the riot unfolded, he sent a tweet criticizing Pence for not having the “courage” to overturn the election. Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) said what Trump wanted Pence to do was “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”

Two minutes after Trump’s tweet, the Secret Service whisked Pence to a secure location. Even after the riot, Trump struggled to condemn the insurrectionists. He continues to falsely claim the election was stolen and pressure officials to overturn the 2020 results.

The case against Trump is overwhelming. What’s more, most of the evidence gathered by the House committee came from Republicans in the Trump administration and Trump himself.

Indeed, about half the country believes Trump should be prosecuted. The problem is the other half. Many Americans didn’t watch the hearings or only got their information from partisan outlets like Fox News, which didn’t broadcast some of the hearings. Fox sits atop an extreme right-wing echo chamber that continues to spread dangerous falsehoods about the insurrection.

Then there is the GOP that continues to aid and abet Trump. Most Republicans refuse to repudiate Trump and continue to downplay the attempted coup, leaving clear a path for the twice-impeached former president to run again.

The case is clear: Trump must be charged, and prevented from holding public office again. The American Experiment barely withstood four years of a Donald Trump presidency; it is chilling to think of what might become of it were he to be given four more.