Storming the Capitol – That’s in the hands of the commission of inquiry into Trump – News


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This week, hearings of a commission of inquiry into the storming of the Capitol revealed: Ex-President Trump was planning a coup to stay in power – the storming of the Capitol was only part of this plan. The commission of inquiry now wants to convict Trump of the attempted coup.

The preliminary finding of the commission of inquiry in the last two weeks can be summarized as follows: Ex-President Donald Trump clung to power with all means. He did not shy away from inciting violence, lying and putting massive pressure on the authorities. SRF business editor Jan Baumann in Washington has followed the hearings over the past two weeks and classifies them.

Clear evidence required

In order to legally convict ex-President Trump of attempting a coup, evidence would be needed that proves criminal acts beyond a doubt, explains Baumann. For example, a conspiracy against the United States or the attempted election fraud.

“In addition, the judiciary must take concrete action against Donald Trump, against him personally and against his alleged accomplices. So do this process.” But it’s not that far yet. “After all, various investigations are now also being carried out by the Ministry of Justice. And this research is constantly expanding.”

What is interesting in this context is what Attorney General Merrick Garland says about the hearings – namely that he and his people are watching very closely what is happening. His ministry also asked the parliamentary commission of inquiry to forward incriminating material to the judiciary. “There’s a lot going on there,” says Baumann.

Trump’s unscrupulousness to manipulate election results

When asked which key statements from the hearings make an indictment more likely, Baumann says: “I think the most explosive are the details of the pressure attempts on individual states, on the state of Georgia, for example, and on the leadership of the Department of Justice at the time. To put it simply, it was about overturning a legitimate election result shortly before final certification.”

No completely new facts emerged at the hearings, but when you see how unscrupulously Trump and his lawyers apparently tried to manipulate the election results, the question arises: Isn’t that enough to put Trump on trial ? However, opinions differ among commentators and experts.

“The matter is also politically sensitive, because some top people in the Ministry of Justice were involved in the alleged machinations. To put it bluntly, the ministry must now also investigate itself. Of course, this also raises the question of the political independence of the judicial authorities.”

Hearings will hardly affect election campaigns

According to Baumann, opinions differ as to whether the hearings could influence the election campaign for the upcoming congressional elections. “You have to see that many Republicans dismiss these hearings as a show trial, as political theatre. One thing is clear: The Republican voters will hardly be swayed by these hearings. »

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