The US House Of Representatives Committee For The Recommendation Of Four Criminal Accusations Against Donald Trump Regarding Capitol Hill Riots

Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - The US House of Representatives committee investigating the riots on Capitol Hill January 6, 2021, recommended four criminal charges against former president Donald Trump for his central role in an effort to overturn the 2020 US Presidential Election, on Monday.

A nine-member panel urged the Justice Department to try Trump over the incitement of an uprising, obstructing official proceedings, conspiracy to deceive the US and conspiracy to make false statements.

Former president Donald Trump did not immediately issue any public reactions regarding this recommendation.

No one has been linked to the attack on Capitol Hill, Washington DC has previously faced charges of insurgency, and this is the first time in US history Congress has officially referred the former president to trial.

"We understand the weight of every reference we make today, just as we understand the magnitude of crimes against democracy that we describe in our report," said Congressional panel member Jamie Raskin when announcing the recommendation.

Calling him "not worthy for any position", panel vice chairman Liz Cheney accused the former president of failing to carry out his duties, when his supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

"No one will behave like that, at that time they can serve in any position of authority in our country again," he said.

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

The Justice Department is under no obligation to comply with committee directives. Special adviser Jack Smith oversees a federal investigation into Trump.

"The whole nation knows who is responsible for that day. Beyond that, I have no direct observation," said Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.

Meanwhile, Trump's former vice president Mike Pence told Fox News the indictment by the Department of Justice would be "very divisive in a country at a time when Americans want to see us recover".

"And my hope is that the Department of Justice will think very carefully," Pence hoped.

The committee also referred to John Eastman, Trump's lawyer who supported his efforts to cancel the 2020 elections, to be prosecuted criminally.

It also referred to several members of Congress to be sanctioned by the House Ethics Committee for opposing calls from panel courts: Republican leaders Kevin McCarthy and representatives of Jim Jordan, Scott Perry and Andy Biggs.

Trump's actions ahead of January 6, have been at the core of committee work since last year.

The committee accused Trump of being the center of plans to cancel the 2020 election results, in which he lost to Democratic candidate Joe Biden by seven million votes.

Trump has for months ignored advice from White House officials, pursuing baseless claims that the election was'stolen' from him through a national Democratic conspiracy.

Trump himself opposed the court's summons to testify before the committee and has repeatedly attacked the integrity of the panel.

This year's hearing featured live testimony from dozens of officials, including a White House assistant and election officials who said they had been pressured by the Trump administration.

In addition, Monday's meeting for the first time featured testimony from Hope Hicks, who serves as Trump's communications director.

Hicks recalls his conversation with Trump, where the former president suggested no one would care about his legacy if he lost the election.

"The only thing that matters is to win," he recalled as he said.

The actions taken by the panel closed efforts for more than a year that included the testimonies of thousands of witnesses and millions of documents.

The panel is under pressure to complete its work before Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next year. They are expected to launch their own investigation until January 6, seeking to blame the day's events for the weakness of law enforcement.