January 6 committee refers Donald Trump to Justice Department on four criminal charges

Former president 'unfit for any office', committee member Liz Cheney says

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington. AFP

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have already spoken to January 6 investigators. Whether they will appear in primetime is yet to be determined. Reuters

Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for former president Donald Trump, gives a press conference in the car park of the Four Seasons landscaping company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after Joe Biden was declared as winner of the 2020 presidential election, which he claimed was false. As a result of these claims, Mr Giuliani can no longer practice law in the state of New York. EPA

Donald Trump meets Clint Hickman, vice chairman of Arizona's 4th District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr Hickman said that he refused to take calls from the White House and Mr Trump, who he said was trying to overturn the battleground state's results. AP

Four days before the Capitol riot, Donald Trump placed a call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked the official to 'find' 11,780 votes to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state. The House committee investigators have already interviewed election officials in the state. AP

Ruby Freeman was an employee of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 2020 presidential election. After the state went to Joe Biden, Donald Trump accused Ms Freeman of stealing ballots in a call with Brad Raffensperger, who told Mr Trump that he was being misled by claims on social media. Reuters

Kimberly Guilfoyle, engaged to Donald Trump's son, boasted to a Republican operative that she had raised $3 million for the rally that helped fuel the January 6 Capitol riot. She may be called to testify. AFP

Kash Patel, chief of staff to former acting secretary of defence Christopher Miller, gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee on December 9, 2021. Members of the committee and staff members had been meeting with Mr Patel and 'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander. Getty Images / AFP

The Willard Hotel in Washington played home to a 'war room' set up by advisers of Donald Trump and has become the focus of the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack. AFP

Former White House chief strategist in the Trump administration Steven Bannon leaves a federal courthouse in Washington after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress. EPA

Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidant of Donald Trump, gave a deposition before the committee in which he repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson was chosen by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson meets Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the select committee, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin on Capitol Hill. The committee voted unanimously to recommend contempt of Congress charges for former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark for defying his subpoena, refusing to answer questions and failing to hand over documents to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Liz Cheney, committee chairman Bennie Thompson and other members of the committee speak to reporters after meeting with Nancy Pelosi. Reuters

Republican Scott Perry of Pennsylvania helped promote theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, resulting in millions of tax dollars spent on recounts in the state. Election workers there were also threatened with violence. Reuters

Lawyer John Eastman spoke with Donald Trump's personal legal representative Rudy Giuliani at the January 6 'Stop the Steal' rally in Washington. During the melee, Mr Eastman emailed Greg Jacobs, aid to vice president at the time Mike Pence, to say that it was Mr Pence's fault that the riot was taking place because he refused to block the election's certification results. Reuters

Before Mike Pence could certify the Electoral College votes before Congress, the last step in the process before Joe Biden was to be sworn in, rioters breached the US Capitol. Outside the chamber doors, a person was shot and police officers were beaten and trampled as some rioters yelled: 'Hang Mike Pence!' EPA

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he has no intention of complying with a subpoena to appear before the committee and missed a scheduled deposition. Committee members voted unanimously to pursue criminal contempt charges against Mr Meadows for refusing to give evidence. AFP

In a legal setback, a federal appeals court ruled against Donald Trump, demanding he turn over White House records to the committee. AP

Fox News host Sean Hannity sent text messages to the White House during the January 6 insurrection. AP

The Oath Keepers is a US militia group that recruits former members of the military and law enforcement, with many participating in the January 6 attack. The committee has sent a subpoena to its founder, Stewart Rhoades, and several members have been arrested. AP

The select committee subpoenaed Enrique Tarrio, naming him as leader of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that responded to Donald Trump’s call to descend on Washington and which played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. EPA

US Olympic swimmer Klete Keller can be seen, with arms extended and wearing a blue kerchief covering his face, during the attack on the US Capitol. He pled guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and is co-operating with the committee. AFP

House select committee member Liz Cheney told CNN that a witness said Donald Trump's daughter and former White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, pleaded with her father to put a stop to the violence that took place on January 6. Getty Images / AFP

On January 9, 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump after he tweeted his support for the rioters. Reuters

'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary under former US president Donald Trump, leaves the O'Neill House office building following a meeting with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Reuters

John Eastman, a lawyer for former president Donald Trump, possibly broke legal and ethical rules relating to the 2020 election. AP

Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman, admitted to speaking with Donald Trump on January 6 but refuses to speak with the committee. Reuters

The US House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection voted on Monday to recommend four criminal charges against former president Donald Trump for his central role in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

In an unprecedented move, the nine-member panel urged the Department of Justice to prosecute Mr Trump for incitement of insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to make a false statement.

Mr Trump did not immediately issue any public reaction.

No one associated with the attack on the Capitol has previously faced the charge of insurrection, and it is the first time in US history that Congress has formally referred a former president for prosecution.

“We understand the gravity of each and every referral we are making today, just as we understand the magnitude of the crime against democracy that we described in our report,” panel member Congressman Jamie Raskin said when introducing the referrals.

Calling him “unfit for any office”, the panel's vice chairwoman Liz Cheney accused the former president of failing to perform his duty when his supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory.

“No man who would behave that way, at that moment in time can ever serve in any position of authority in our nation again,” she said.

Shortly after the public meeting concluded, the committee published an executive summary introducing its full report ahead of an expected release on Wednesday.

The Justice Department is not obligated to abide by the committee's referrals. Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing federal investigations into Mr Trump.

"The entire nation knows who is responsible for that day. Beyond that, I don't have any immediate observations," Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said:

Mr Trump's former vice president Mike Pence told Fox News that an indictment by the Justice Department would be "terribly divisive in a country at a time when the American people want to see us heal".

"And my hope is the Justice Department will think very carefully," Mr Pence said.

The committee has also referred John Eastman, a lawyer for Mr Trump who supported his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, to be criminally prosecuted.

It also referred several members of Congress to be sanctioned by the House Ethics Committee for defying the panel's subpoenas: Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and representatives Jim Jordan, Scott Perry and Andy Biggs.

Mr Trump's actions leading up to the events of January 6 have been at the heart of the committee's work since last year.

The committee has accused Mr Trump of being central to a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democratic challenger Mr Biden by seven million votes.

It says that Mr Trump for months ignored advice from White House officials and instead pursued baseless claims that the election was stolen from him through a nationwide Democratic conspiracy.

Mr Trump defied a subpoena to testify in front of the committee and has repeatedly attacked the integrity of the panel.

Hearings this year featured live testimony from dozens of officials including a White House aide and election officials who said they had been pressured by the Trump administration.

Monday's meeting aired testimony for the first time from Hope Hicks, who served as Mr Trump's communications director.

Ms Hicks recalled a conversation she had with Mr Trump in which the former president suggested no one would care about his legacy if he lost the election.

“The only thing that matters is winning,” she recalled him saying.

The actions undertaken by the committee cap more than a year-long effort that included the testimony of thousands of witnesses and millions of documents.

The panel was under pressure to complete its work before Republicans take control of the House next year. They are expected to launch their own enquiries into January 6, seeking to blame the events of the day on law enforcement shortcomings.