A federal judge in the United States has ruled in a civil case that former US President Donald Trump most likely committed a criminal offense for attempting to dismiss the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress to confirm the US presidential election hinder. This would be a criminal offense under US law. This is reported by several US media unanimously.
“It was obvious that this plan was illegal,” writes Judge David Carter of Trump’s attempts to get his then Vice President Mike Pence not to recognize the election result and thus not to declare Trump’s challenger Joe Biden the winner.
Judge Carter’s testimonies on the case relate to a decision he was required to make in a civil proceeding. He had to decide whether emails from Trump’s attorney John Eastman could be handed over to the investigative committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 by supporters of Donald Trump.
The judge ordered the release of most of the emails – and wrote: “Every American – and certainly the President of the United States – knows that leaders in a democracy are elected and not installed. With such a brazen plan, the President tried Trump knowingly undermined that fundamental principle. Based on the evidence, the court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress.”
In his ruling, the judge personally accused attorney Eastman and Trump of launching a campaign to sweep away the election results, “an event unique in American history.” Carter directly links the riots that broke out when the Capitol was stormed on January 6 to Trump’s plan. According to the broadcaster NBC weighs in the USA, the burden of proof to be provided in civil cases is less severe than in criminal law.
Only ten documents remain confidential
According to Carter, had Trump’s plan worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transfer of power in the United States and undermined American democracy and the American constitution. The country must hold those responsible to account, otherwise the court believes there is a risk that an incident like the one on January 6 will be repeated. The attack killed five people and injured dozens.
So far, neither Trump nor Eastman have had to face criminal charges for the storming of Congress. Carter made it clear that his case was only about a dispute over the release of emails. “It’s not a criminal prosecution.” Attorney Eastman wanted to keep 111 documents from being released to Congress. The judge approved this for only ten. Trump himself was not a party to the civil case.
The events of January 6, 2021 had led to a second impeachment trial in Trump’s tenure. Ten votes were missing for his conviction in the Senate. This means that the Republican is still able to run again in the next presidential election in 2024 and run for a second term.