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After a stunning week during which a former White Home aide gave bombshell testimony about Donald Trump’s unhinged habits the day of the Capitol riot, lawmakers on the Jan. 6 committee mentioned prison referrals—even one towards the previous president—haven’t been dominated out.
Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) appeared on ABC’s This Week and CBS’ Face the Nation, respectively, to preview the committee’s subsequent steps after Tuesday’s startling testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, who mentioned Trump lunged at his presidential driver in an effort to get him to take him to the Capitol simply earlier than the riot.
Host Jonathan Karl requested Cheney whether or not the committee may refer Trump for prison prosecution and she or he replied “sure.”
“We could effectively as a committee have a view on that,” Cheney famous. “And for those who simply give it some thought from the attitude of—what sort of man is aware of that the mob is armed and sends the mob to assault the Capitol? And additional incites that mob when his personal vice chairman is underneath menace, when the Congress is underneath menace. It’s very chilling.”
“The Justice Division doesn’t have to attend for the committee to make a prison referral,” she added. “And there may very well be a couple of prison referral.”
Schiff toed the identical line in an interview with CBS’ Margaret Brennen, arguing Trump mustn't escape duty for the assault on the Capitol no matter how politically troublesome it may very well be to cost him.
“Immunizing a former president who has engaged in wrongdoing,” he mentioned, “I'd agree with our vice chair—I feel is extra harmful than the rest.”
“The choice to not transfer ahead with an investigation or to not transfer ahead the prosecution due to somebody’s political standing or political affect or as a result of they've a following, to me that could be a way more harmful factor to our Structure than following the proof wherever it leads, together with when it results in a former president,” Schiff mentioned.
The committee has not mentioned whether or not it believes it has the proof to refer Trump for prosecution, nor has it mentioned whether or not it has proof corroborating Hutchinson’s testimony. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) instructed CNN Sunday, nonetheless, that the committee plans to proceed introducing beforehand unreported tales.
“There shall be far more data,” he mentioned. “Keep tuned.”