Evidence exists to charge Trump for attempting to overturn election :Schiff

California Congressman Adam Schiff has said that he believes there is sufficient evidence to charge former President Donald Trump with criminal offenses in relation to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Schiff made this statement on CNN’s State of the Union program, and it comes just one day before the House January 6 Select Committee is set to release an outline of its investigative report on the US Capitol attack, which has been linked to nine deaths, including the suicides of law enforcement officers who were traumatized by the events.

The committee is expected to use its final meeting on Monday to refer Trump, as well as others, to the US justice department in relation to Trump’s attempts to reverse his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden.

It is predicted that these referrals will involve obstruction of an official congressional proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States. While these criminal referrals are largely symbolic, as Congress cannot force prosecutors to pursue charges, Schiff believes that there is sufficient evidence in the public record to charge Trump.

During his interview, Schiff was asked whether he thought there was enough evidence to secure a conviction if Trump were to be charged.

Schiff responded by saying that he couldn’t comment on the specifics of any possible referrals, but added that he thought the evidence was “pretty plain” and that, as a former prosecutor, he believed there was sufficient evidence to charge the former president.

Tapper further asked Schiff whether he thought Trump would face criminal charges, to which Schiff responded that he didn’t know but that he thought Trump should face the same legal consequences as anyone else.

Schiff expressed concern that it may take until Trump is no longer politically relevant for justice to be served and that there seems to be an added evidentiary burden for someone with a large following.

He also noted that it is difficult to understand why the justice department hasn’t moved more quickly on the matter, given that it has been almost two years since the events of January 6 and that there is already a significant amount of evidence in the public domain.

The committee is also expected to make civil referrals to the House ethics committee involving Republican Congress members and suggest disbarment for some of Trump’s attorneys.

The House January 6 Select Committee has largely concluded that the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 was rooted in a conspiracy, according to sources.

The panel has found that Trump oversaw a “political” plan for Vice-President Mike Pence to refuse to certify election results in a joint session on January 6, as well as a “coup” plot to force Congress’s hand if he refused.

Committee investigators believe that Trump’s alleged desire to illegally thwart the certification of the election he lost was obvious months before January 6 and extended from the time he agreed with a false narrative about widespread voter fraud.

The panel has also found that Trump and his allies pressured state officials to find votes that didn’t exist and that Trump incited a mob to attack the Capitol on January 6, leading to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer.

Overall, the events of January 6 have been described as a dark moment in American history and it remains to be seen what the ultimate consequences will be for those involved.