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WASHINGTON − House lawmakers who served on the Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol celebrated – for the third time – a grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump.
If their applause on Tuesday brings a feeling of deja vu, there’s good reason. Many of the details in the indictment are familiar: They were unearthed by the special congressional committee that investigated the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
The federal grand jury accused Trump of organizing a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election from President Joe Biden, including the insurrection that a prosecutor described as “an unprecedented assault” on democracy.
Trump, now facing his third criminal case, denied wrongdoing and denounced the indictment as an attempt to derail his 2024 presidential candidacy.
The committee, comprised of nine members of the House before disbanding at the end of last year, issued countless subpoenas to close allies of the former president and held a series of hearings over the course of an 18-month investigation. Their investigation documented Trump at the center of an effort to overturn the 2020 election and assemble a mob he is accused of sending to Congress to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.
Seven Democrats and two Republicans served on the bipartisan committee.
Here’s how committee members responded Tuesday to news of Trump’s third indictment alleging election interference:
More:Democracy rattled: Two years later, the Jan. 6 panel votes a criminal referral for Trump
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Jan. 6 committee chair, made several posts on X saying that fair trials demonstrate the country’s commitment to the law and to hold those accountable who attempted to undermine it.
“Today’s charges are consistent with those the select committee referred to the special counsel last year,” he wrote. “Successful prosecutions will not only bring accountability but also help prevent something like January 6th from ever happening again.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told CBS News the grand jury indictment is “quite parallel” to the Jan. 6 special committee.
“I feel very pleased that this is such a vindication of the rule of law in America and that this grand jury saw what the Jan. 6 committee saw,” he said.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, who has been a vocal opponent of Trump, said Tuesday’s charges related to the Jan. 6 attack are the most serious to date for the former president.
“This will put our democracy to a new test: Can the rule of law be enforced against a former president and current candidate? For the sake of our democracy, that answer must be yes,” he posted on X.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.
Also from California, Rep. Zoe Lofgren said on CNN Tuesday evening she doesn’t feel joyful about the news of the indictment. She cited how the former president has made continuing threats to overthrow the government after leaving the White House.
“This misconduct, criminal behavior needs to be addressed by a jury,” she told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“We thought those actions were criminal in nature and apparently upon our referral, the department of justice did as well,” she added.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 committee, has long predicted that prosecutors would follow up on the panel’s work.
“(T)his investigation is just a beginning; it is only an initial step in addressing President Trump’s effort to remain in office illegally,” she wrote in the committee’s final report. “Prosecutors are considering the implications of the conduct we describe in this report.”
Her work on the committee, where she served as vice chair, helped cost her her political career. She lost a GOP primary in 2022 to Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.
Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served as the other Republicans on the committee, called Trump a “cancer on our democracy,” adding that “today is the beginning of justice” in a post on X.
“We uncovered proof that Donald Trump not only knew what was happening at the Capitol, but encouraged it,” the now CNN political commentator wrote.
“Today is the beginning of justice. Nobody is above the law; least of all a president who swore an oath to defend it,” he said.
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