Legal experts across the spectrum say that the 1/6 Committee has evidence of a Trump seditious conspiracy or other crimes.
Peter Baker of The New York Times tweeted:
Did Trump commit a crime? “This is the smoking gun,” Sol Wisenberg, a former deputy to Ken Starr, tells me about today’s hearing. “There isn’t any question this establishes a prima facie case for his criminal culpability on seditious conspiracy charges.”
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 28, 2022
The Washington Post reported:
David Laufman, a former senior Justice Department lawyer now in private practice, said Hutchinson’s testimony “contained credible nuggets of information that would support” prosecutors viewing Trump as an investigative target in a seditious conspiracy investigation.
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said he thought Hutchinson’s information would more likely support an investigation into whether Trump could be charged with incitement to violence.
The Hutchinson testimony has shifted the conversation from whether Donald Trump committed a crime to what crime Donald Trump could be charged with?
In recent weeks, there has been growing evidence of an active DOJ investigation into the plot to overthrow the government. The Justice Department has focused on the fake electors scheme because filing the fake slate electors was a federal crime.
However, the 1/6 Committee has potentially much more criminal activity centered on the Oval Office. The Hutchinson testimony hurt Trump legally, but it also has done immense damage to any potential third run for the White House that he is considering.
The consensus among legal experts appears that the 1/6 Committee has compiled enough evidence against the former president to justify a criminal investigation.
Even if the legal standard for a conviction on seditious conspiracy can’t be met, there could be many other potential Trump crimes for federal prosecutors to choose from.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association