Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Sunday that the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is looking into whether former President Donald Trump committed a crime by trying to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election results.
Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee, said on CNN’s “State of the Union†that he wasn’t prepared to say yet if he believed Trump had broken the law, however, “by the end of our investigation, and by the time our report is out, [we’ll] have a pretty good idea.â€
“We’ll be able to, you know, have out on the public record anything Justice Department needs maybe in pursuit of that,†he added.
“Nobody is above the law. And if the president knowingly allowed what happened on Jan. 6 to happen, and in fact was giddy about it, and that violates a criminal statute, he needs to be held accountable for that,†he said.
“Mr. Meadows’s testimony will bear on another key question before this committee: Did Donald Trump, through action or inaction, corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress’ official proceeding to count electoral votes?†she said.
Her words mirrored language in a federal felony statute, which holds that “whoever corruptly … obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be … imprisoned not more than 20 years.â€
The House voted last week to recommend criminal contempt charges against Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, who refused to comply with a congressional subpoena. The committee has interviewed hundreds of witnesses and subpoenaed dozens of people as it seeks to create a comprehensive image of the planning and execution of the Capitol attack.
