He faces four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and to deny voters the right to have their ballots counted. Live now to tim heaphy, former lead investigator for the house january 6th select committee. Thank you so much forjoining us. I think for people who perhaps havent covered every twist and turn of the story, just explain to us why that january 6th select committee was so crucial to what we are seeing now . Facts are what makes cases and determines outcomes, and the select committee uncovered the core facts here. Congress created the select committee to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding the attack on the capitol, and thats what we did through a series of hearings and ultimately and 845 page report. The committee set forth the core allegations that remain allegations against mr trump, he and his Co Conspirators specifically intended to prevent the transfer of power. So the indictment is built on a determination of fact by the select committe
Too farfrom there, department ofjustice, which is not too far from there, saying they are making this illegal attempt to interfere in the 2024 election. again, rememberwhat interfere in the 2024 election. again, remember what you are hearing from far right extreme republicans who continue to have trump s back, though he s not in office any more, they are saying this is an attempt by the democrats to really make it possible forjoe biden to win next year s general election in 2024. so i think this is a moment in which we have to really say, is this what s reflective of the country at large? i don t even think it s reflective of what many federal level republicans think. there are many sitting on capitol hill right now who note it ll be a very uphill battle for trump to win the election in 2024, even if he wins the republican nomination at the end of the primary process next year. rina.
Session of congress, at which the electors are certified, is the official proceeding. so the evidence the special council must produce will demonstrate that mr trump intended that process not go forward, that it be obstructed or impeded. he s also charged with conspiracy to defraud the united states, which also gave rise to conspiracy to prevent the lawful function of government. again, the certification would be such a function. in the final charges deprivation of rights the act of attempting to prevent the certification, essentially deprives americans of their constitutional right to vote. it essentially divests them of the vote because the action that he was attempting to take would be inconsistent with the popular vote. so that is an old reconstruction era statute the council has used to emphasise this cuts to the very core of the threat
Trump is running for president in order to avoid jail time, something to that effect, those were his exact words, and he got booed for that. but look, there are many moderate, centrist republicans who even identified as independent now in the era of donald trump that feel that the republican party needs somebody else at its top, that this former president is too rife with problems, that he s not representative of any sort of values of any policies he stands for, he stands only for himself. so this is a process that needs to play itself out. ijust pray it s a process that plays out without any political violence or anything of that sort that we saw on january 6th, 2021. we anything of that sort that we saw on january 6th. 2021. january 6th, 2021. we are watching the landin: january 6th, 2021. we are watching the landing gear january 6th, 2021. we are watching the landing gear on january 6th, 2021. we are watching the landing gear on donald - january 6th, 2021. we are watching j the
Attorney general, his white house council, members of his family who came and provided information about saying no. there were a lot of very courageous people who put principle over party, who held firm to the rule of law and would not do what the president suggested they do or had the authority and basis to do. so it was the facts we found and how compelling they were. it was that there was. that was in the referrals the committee made to the department ofjustice. find referrals the committee made to the department of justice. department ofjustice. and after the referrals from department ofjustice. and after the referrals from the department ofjustice. and after the referrals from the select department ofjustice. and after the | referrals from the select committee, special counciljack smith then conducted his own investigation to see what he had, and that process took another eight months or so? we ave took another eight months or so? - gave him all transcript of our interview