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The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack’s second hearing, televised live Monday, made the case that Donald Trump knew his claims of election fraud were false after many of his closest advisors on his campaign and even in his administration repeatedly told him Joe Biden fairly won the 2020 presidential election, that he definitely lost, and that any possible fraud was minimal and would not change the results.
Even Trump’s hand-picked Attorney General Bill Barr, who for years had been accused of acting like his personal lawyer and not the top law enforcement official in the federal government, told Trump he lost, and labeled him “detached from reality” for supporting the conspiracy theories put before him by people like Rudy Giuliani.
The Committee on Monday also made the case the Trump campaign “was a complete grift,” as The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell notes:
NEW: Jan. 6 committee establishes the Trump campaign was a complete grift — they raised $250 million after the election for the “Official Election Defense Fund” which did not exist and the money instead went to Trump hotels and his own Save America PAC
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) June 13, 2022
“Interesting theory today — the big fraud was also the big ripoff,” observes former federal prosecutor Barb McQuade. “Trump’s lie was used as a fundraising ploy. Could be a basis for wire fraud claims.”
Law & Crime reports the former president “and his allies raised $250 million on bogus election fraud claims through ads that misled donors about where the money was going, the Jan. 6 Committee found in a video presentation ending their second public hearing on Monday.”
Legal experts, like former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, are saying the January 6 Committee is making its case.
The J6 committee is proving Donald Trump’s crimes with the voices – the testimony – of Republican witnesses. And Rep. Lofgren stated it plainly: “the big lie was also a big rip off” of Trump supporters.
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) June 13, 2022
Others are suggesting if not stating outright that Attorney General Merrick Garland must have Donald Trump charged with crimes against the United States.
Noted legal scholar and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, Laurence Tribe, citing federal law, suggests – if charged –Trump or someone in his orbit might face up to 20 years:
So it turns out that there was plenty of fraud in the 2020 election. But it wasn’t VOTER fraud.
No, it was WIRE fraud — through Trump’s scheme to raise tens of millions of dollars from supporters by claiming the election was stolen.
Penalty? Up to 20 yrs under 18 USC § 1343
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 13, 2022
Tribe actually lists five crimes DOJ could charge Trump with:
Today’s testimony opens a new possibility: charging Trump not only with seditious conspiracy (18 USC 2384), inciting insurrection (2383), defrauding the US (371) & obstructing a congressional proceeding (1505) but also wire fraud (18 USC 1343): fleecing ordinary citizens of $$$$$
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 13, 2022
Former Asst. U.S. Attorney at SDNY, Richard Signorelli, is urging Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and the Dept. of Justice in general to do their jobs and prosecute:
The fleecing of MAGA in the amount of $250M by falsely claiming voter fraud constitutes wire/mail fraud which should be prosecuted by @TheJusticeDept. WTFU Garland/@LisaMonaco Do your job in a timely & comprehensive manner.
— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) June 13, 2022
Signorelli did not stop there.
He called on top DOJ officials to charge someone, presumably Trump or a “higherup”: “Do your job or resign.”
He directed his remarks to the Dept. of Justice’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney of Washington, D.C. Matthew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Damian Williams, along with Garland, Monaco, and DOJ.
My overall impression of the well done @January6thCmte presentation:
Exposes the incompetence of Garland/@LisaMonaco @TheJusticeDept @DOJCrimDiv (Polite) @USAO_DC (Graves) @SDNYnews (Williams) for having done 0 to charge a single higherup for any crime. Do your job or resign.— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) June 13, 2022
Put a possible federal prosecution of Trump aside for a moment. Garland/@LisaMonaco have not prosecuted a single high level person for ’20 election fraud, 1/6 insurrection, fundraising fraud, etc. Their inaction is indefensible.
— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) June 13, 2022
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