The US attorney general insisted Wednesday that “no one is above the law” as Democrats seek to convict Donald Trump in the Capitol attack investigation.
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Merrick Garland leads federal prosecutors conducting “the largest investigation ever conducted by the Department of Justice,” he told reporters of the judicial investigation into the attack on Congress in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
On that day, thousands of Donald Trump supporters attended a fiery speech for their president, beaten at the polls but claimed otherwise, before marching towards and invading Congress.
Since then, the question of Donald Trump’s legal responsibility has been raised.
“We must hold anyone criminally responsible for trying to overturn a legitimate election,” the Democratic secretary told reporters.
Asked about the possible application of this principle to a former president, Merrick Garland said, “No one is above the law in this country. I cannot be clearer than that.”
“Nothing prevents us in terms of criminal prosecution or other principles from investigating anyone criminally responsible for attempting to overturn a democratic election,” he added.
More than 850 people have been arrested in connection with this comprehensive investigation into the assault on Congress. Most were accused of obstructing an official process: the ratification, by members of Congress that day, for Joe Biden’s election.
Donald Trump, 76, publicly courting a new presidential candidacy in 2024, was, after January 6, impeached for fomenting a rebellion by the House of Representatives in an impeachment procedure, which the Senate blocked with a fine.
At the parliamentary level, a congressional inquiry is doing its own work and must complete a series of public hearings on Thursday, this time dedicated to Donald Trump’s actions on the day of the attack.
At the end of its scheduled work in the fall, this committee can recommend whether or not the Department of Justice to indict the former president.
