As House Select Committee Continues Investigation into U.S. Capitol Riots on On January 6, 2021, some legal experts believe that criminal congressional appeal to the department of Fairness for former President Donald Trump may have a negative results.
On Monday a former member of Obama administration said Politico what does he believe in move could backfire and force the Justice Department work on any such case even more difficult.
This happens after the decision last week from US District Court Judge David Carter, who wrote that former the president”more more likely than not,” committed a felony when he attempted to unlawfully obstruct the work of Congress. on January 6, 2021
Ronald Weich, law professor in university of Baltimore and former attorney’s assistant general in The Obama administration’s Department of Justice said Politico what if the committee issued on January 6 criminal directions against Trump, this will only complicate matters by adding politics into the mixture.
“Formal criminal congressional address in this situation can backfire. Department of Justice indictment decisions should not succumb to political pressure, and this how it might look like. Direction can complicate the task for Department to initiate a criminal case,” Weich said..
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Weich is not the only legal expert of this opinion. Randall Eliason, criminal law professor at the George Washington University also said Politico that any such move from Congress, most likely, will not worth This in for a long time run.
“It would have no legal effect, just political, he said. “And Congress wouldn’t tell the Justice Department anything it didn’t already know, or that he could not report it to the Department of Justice without a referral. So I still feel like the costs outweigh any benefits.”
In its ruling last week, Carter ordered that about 100 emails from lawyer John Eastman be redirected. over to a committee of of his investigation. Eastman, lawyer who reportedly gave Trump advice on attempts to undermine results of presidential election of 2020, withheld emails from the committee, citing attorney-client confidentiality.
Ultimately the Department of justice is not need congressional appeal for nomination criminal prosecution according to Politico. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Democrat from California who is a member of The Committee announced this on January 6. Politico what criminal a referral from the committee was not absolutely necessary.
“Direction means nothing. It has no legal effect, and I’m quite sure department of justice read [last week’s] opinion, so they don’t need us tell them it exists,” Lofgren said. Politico.
In a March interview with NBC News, Wyoming State Representative Liz Cheney, one of two republicans on committee cited Trump’s actions on January 6 as “the highest omission of duty.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial board warned against indictment former the president last month. It was said there that move “may drag the country into a legal minefield and a politicalrevenge fight more like a banana republic.
The committee voted last week to keep two of Trump’s allies and advisers, Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino. in contempt of Congress for their refusal to cooperate with their investigation.
Newsweek has reached out through January 6 Committee Chairman Representative Benny Thompson office for comment but didn’t hear back before publication.
