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Former US President Donald Trump may be part of a “criminal plot” to reverse the results of the 2020 election. This is the opinion of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in court documents cited by US media.
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The investigative committee is trying to persuade a judge to grant access to emails from conservative attorney John Eastman. According to the authority, the lawyer helped orchestrate the plot. Eastman refused to hand over the emails because of his duty to maintain confidentiality as a lawyer, like the American media Washington Post† New York times And the CNN†
The investigation committee suspects that Trump and some members of his campaign team were involved in a criminal conspiracy to commit fraud against the country. The members of the investigative committee state in their court documents that the evidence and information they collected provide a good basis for suspecting that Trump and others committed criminal and/or fraudulent acts and that the attorney assisted them in doing so. According to them, Trump and his campaign tried to prevent the Electoral College votes from being counted.
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The investigative committee itself does not have the authority to bring charges, but notes that it is considering handing over evidence to the Ministry of Justice. This may be seen as a symbolic move, but it may also increase pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to formally convict Trump.
The judge presiding over the civil lawsuit reviews the emails himself and decides whether to keep them confidential. Neither Eastman nor Trump has yet been charged with any crime.
The investigation committee is trying to find out the role played by the former president in the storming of thousands of his supporters to the Capitol building. During that storm, Congress met to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
For members of the inquiry committee, most of whom are Democrats, this is a race against time: They want to publish their findings before the midterm elections in November. It is feared that the Republicans will be able to control the House of Representatives in that election.
