capitol riot aftermath
Jan. 6 committee says there is evidence Trump 'engaged in a criminal conspiracy' to overturn 2020 election
In a court filing on Wednesday, lawyers for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot wrote there is evidence suggesting former President Donald Trump "may have engaged in criminal acts" by attempting to keep Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election.
The lawyers also wrote that the committee has a "good-faith basis for concluding that the president and members of his campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States."
The filing was made in response to John Eastman, one of Trump's former lawyers, fighting to keep documents and emails from the committee, saying they are protected under attorney-client privilege. In the days leading up to the Capitol riot, Eastman allegedly tried to convince former Vice President Mike Pence that he had the authority to overturn the election results.
In a statement, the committee's chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), and vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), said the "facts we've gathered strongly suggest that Dr. Eastman's emails may show that he helped Donald Trump advance a corrupt scheme to obstruct the counting of electoral college ballots and a conspiracy to impede the transfer of power."
The committee has interviewed several Trump and Pence aides, and there are excerpts from some of their depositions in the filing. Read more at The Washington Post.