Campaign finance in focus
Investigators are putting pressure on Trump’s environment
09/13/2022, 07:13 am
The investigation into the Capitol storming in early 2021 is being expanded. Current and former employees of ex-President Trump should submit documents or make statements. But it is less about the outbreaks of violence and more about the financing of the election campaign.
In its investigation into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, the US Department of Justice is increasingly targeting people close to then-President Donald Trump. The “New York Times” and the broadcaster CNN reported on Monday (local time) that the ministry had requested information from several dozen former and current Trump employees in the past few days. Partly it is about documents, but partly also about a subpoena for a statement. Among them is the President’s former social media boss, Dan Scavino, who still works for Trump.
In the past few months, the ministry has already requested information from people close to Trump, under threat of criminal prosecution, wrote the New York Times. This time, however, the thrust is different and now also refers to campaign finances.
Trump supporters stormed the House of Parliament in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm the victory of Trump’s Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the previous presidential election. The violent crowd wanted to prevent that. Five people died in the riots, including a police officer. Trump had recently incited his supporters at a rally by claiming that his election victory had been stolen. He therefore had to face an impeachment trial in Congress, at the end of which he was acquitted.
Is Tump facing criminal prosecution?
The Justice Department has been investigating the storming of the Capitol for many months. Hundreds of rioters from that day were brought to justice. However, there is growing pressure on the ministry to also initiate criminal prosecution against Trump. In a committee of inquiry in the House of Representatives that is investigating the background to the attack, various witnesses heavily incriminated Trump.
Most recently, the Department of Justice had initiated investigations against the Republican in another matter: It is about the storage of secret government documents in Trump’s private estate in Florida.