Members of the Jan. 6 committee quickly took to the airwaves to declare that a decision has not yet been made on criminal referrals after Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) reportedly ruled it out.
A referral could pressure Attorney General Merrick Garland to open a criminal investigation, though a decision to prosecute will ultimately be up to the Justice Department, whether there is a criminal referral or not.
The panel will “look at the facts” and publicly release the evidence, but it will be up to federal prosecutors to pursue any charges against former President Donald Trump or anyone else, Thompson told reporters Monday.
“No, you know, we’re going to tell the facts. If the Department of Justice looks at it and assumes that there’s something that needs further review, I’m sure they’ll do it,” Thompson said, as reported by CNN. Thompson added that the committee’s final report would be made public so that “anybody can have access to it.”
“If they want, after reviewing it, to come back and ask to talk to some of the staff or the members who helped produce the report, I’m sure they will,” Thompson said.
Thompson reasserted that the committee’s job was to gather evidence and provide recommendations.
“No, that’s not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it, and make recommendations after that,” Thompson said.
Pressed on the topic of a criminal referral Thompson doubled down: “No, that’s not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it and make recommendations after that.”
Pressed on the topic of a criminal referral Thompson doubled down:
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) June 13, 2022
"No, that's not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it and make recommendations after that."
