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The American Department of Justice is investigating the alleged involvement of the former American president, Donald Trump, in the reversal of the election result in 2020, the American daily, the Washington Post, reported.
Federal prosecutors have reportedly questioned witnesses directly about Trump’s actions.
So far, they have decided not to launch criminal investigations against Trump himself for his alleged role.
On January 6, 2021, some protesters entered the US Congress building, in an attempt to overturn Trump’s defeat in the election.
Trump has publicly praised those who attacked the building, but denies any wrongdoing.
The US Department of Justice has already launched a criminal investigation into what happened on January 6.
Reports that witnesses are being questioned about Trump’s role do not mean prosecutors will decide whether to bring criminal charges against him.
These investigations are separate from the process that is taking place in Congress this week on the same topic.
Trump himself has considered the sessions in Congress as a witch hunt.
According to the Washington Post, federal prosecutors have questioned witnesses before a grand jury about conversations they had with Trump and his inner circle in the months before the January 6 riots.
Witnesses are reported to have been asked about instructions given by Trump regarding any attempt to prevent the certification of incumbent President Joe Biden’s victory in the election.
Some of the officials questioned were senior members of the staff of the former US vice president, Mike Pence, some US media have reported.
So far, the US Department of Justice has refused to say whether it will charge Trump for any alleged role in overturning the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
When the department’s top official, Prosecutor Merrick Garland, was asked if he was concerned about indicting the former president, he simply said he intended to hold “everyone” accountable.
Federal officials will prosecute anyone “responsible for interfering with the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another,” Garland told NBC News.
He said that the Department of Justice’s investigation into what happened on January 6 is “the broadest in the institution’s history.”
Any decision by federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges against the former president — and potentially the 2024 presidential candidate — would have far-reaching constitutional and political ramifications.
In addition to federal prosecutors, a congressional committee is also investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
The congressional committee, made up of five Democrats and two Republicans, subpoenaed dozens of witnesses last week to build a case that Trump made illegal efforts to overturn the election, actions that have culminated in riots.
One of the most powerful testimonies was given by Cassidy Hutchinson, former assistant to the former chief of staff of the White House, Mark Meadows.
She has said that Trump personally knew that members of the crowd gathered on the morning of January 6 in front of the White House were armed, because they were led away by Secret Service officials.
“I don’t care that they have guns. They are not here to hurt me,” Trump said, according to Hutchinson.
“Let my people in. They can march to Congress from here.”
Her testimony gave the committee something it has been waiting for since the proceedings began — that Trump allegedly had knowledge of the threat of violence, and did nothing to stop it.
The panel of senators has suggested that there may be sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Trump, although he himself does not have the authority for such a thing./REL
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