After a shocking week in which a former White House aide gave testimony about Donald Trump’s misconduct on the day of the Capitol riots, lawmakers on the Jan. Criminal referrals — even one against the former president — have not been ruled out.
Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) appeared on ABC’s This week and CBS’ Facing the country, respectively, to preview the committee’s next steps following Tuesday’s startling testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, who said Trump rammed his presidential driver in an attempt to get him to take him Capitol building just before the riots.
Host Jonathan Karl asked Cheney if the committee could refer Trump for criminal prosecution, and she replied “yes”.
“We as a committee can take a stand on that,” Cheney noted. “And if you just think about it from a — what kind of person knows that the mob was armed and sent the mob to attack the Capitol? And continue to incite that crowd when his own vice president is under threat, when Congress is under threat. It is very cold. “
“The Department of Justice does not have to wait for the commission to issue a criminal referral,” she added. “And there can be more than one criminal referral.”
Schiff emphasized the same in an interview with CBS’s Margaret Brennen, arguing that Trump should not shirk responsibility for the attack on the Capitol no matter how politically difficult it is to impeach him. .
“As long as a former president has committed misconduct,” he said, “I agree with our vice president – more dangerous than anything else I think.”
“The decision not to continue the investigation or not to forward the prosecution because of someone’s political standing or political influence or because they have followers, to me, is a much more dangerous thing for me. Our Constitution versus tracking evidence anywhere. Schiff said.
The committee has not said whether it believes it has evidence to indict Trump, nor has it said whether it has evidence to corroborate Hutchinson’s testimony. However, Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) told CNN Sunday that the committee plans to continue to refer to previously unreported stories.
“There will be more information,” he said. “Keep stable.”
