Jan. 6 committee refers President Trump to DOJ, expert explains what’s next
Dec 19, 2022, 7:00 PM | Updated: 7:19 pm
KSL legal anaylst Greg Skordas discusses the fallout of the Department of Labor announcing Crumbl Cookies has violated child labor laws. File: Greg Skordas
SALT LAKE CITY — Former President Donald Trump is facing legal trouble for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
On Monday, the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection at the Capitol unanimously voted to recommend four charges against the former president to the Department of Justice.
The four charges are 1) Conspiracy to defraud the United States; 2) Conspiracy to interrupt official proceedings; 3) Contempt of Congress and 4) Contempt of the United States of an official proceedings.
KSL NewsRadio’s legal analyst Greg Skordas told Inside Sources that there is a bit of an overlap with the charges.
“It’s really related to not only the incitement of the people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted coup,” he said. “But also, the fact that the former president hasn’t cooperated or hasn’t been forthcoming in the investigation that has occurred since then.”
Department of Justice investigating former President Trump
Skordas says the Department of Justice is working separately to determine if these findings have any legal standing.
“The Department of Justice is working independently,” he said. “They’re doing their own investigation. In fact, they have reached out to the Jan. 6 committee during the last several months saying ‘can we get copies? can we get transcripts of your interviews?'”
According to Skordas, the Jan. 6 committee has interviewed over 1,000 people. He says any prosecutor would have interest in that information.
Skordas says the committee would cooperate with the requests of the DOJ, but not until their investigation had concluded.
With the investigation completed, Skordas thinks the committee will now turn over all of its information to the DOJ.
“It’s more of the end of the beginning instead of the beginning of the end,” he said.
Skordas is clear that the DOJ will be the one making any legal decisions about the former president.
“The Department of Justice is the only agency here that would have the power to file charges,” he said. “The January 6 committee can only make a recommendation or referral that criminal charges could or should be brought.”
Setting the table for the DOJ
Skordas says committee was really only focused on getting to the bottom of the situation to find out who was responsible.
“As a result of that, they have found things that could potentially be criminal,” Skordas said. “And so, once you do that, even though that’s not your focus, you turn that information over at the appropriate time to the prosecutor.”
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard on weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Read more:
- Trump sues January 6 committee seeking to block subpoena for his testimony and documents
- Trump subpoenaed by the January 6 committee. Now what?
