Jan. 6 Committee Member Accuses Trump Of Criminal Witness Tampering

0
1210

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), a member of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, accused former President Donald Trump of witness tampering during a new appearance on CNN. Aguilar was discussing Trump’s now repeated references to his intentions to give pardons to Capitol rioters if he wins the presidency again and concludes such moves to be warranted. Throughout the time since the Capitol riot, Trump has repeatedly defended what went on, and he’s made no meaningful distinction between those with some hand in the day when offering these broad excuses. Thus, Trump appears essentially okay with hundreds of assaults on police officers, threats to the lives of top government leaders, evidence-backed charges of seditious conspiracy, and more — all in service of trying to overturn the election outcome.

Directly asked whether he believed that Trump had been engaging in witness tampering — which is a crime, Aguilar said, “Absolutely,” adding: “And I think the question is more for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, you know — where are they? Do they support this? When is enough, enough?” A comparatively small number of Republican Senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have expressed some opposition to the prospect of doling out pardons for rioters, but even those who’ve shared such opposition aren’t exactly the most authoritative voices on this issue. Graham, for instance, can’t credibly speak about wanting to deter acts such as those committed on January 6 while supporting Trump, who seems not-too-concerned about what went on last January. There’s also the problem of the general cowardice shown by many other Republican leaders, who keep kowtowing to Trump’s whims on this issue.

Trump’s presentations of pardons as a possibility for rioters if he once again wins the presidency could constitute witness tampering at least in part due to the fact that his comments could affect the calculations of certain rioters who have plea offers from prosecutors. Plea deals routinely include agreements to provide information to authorities, so with Trump’s suggestions of pardons, he could be providing incentives to certain individuals to keep information from federal authorities who are dealing with criminal acts. After all, if they — hypothetically — hold out until a potential Trump presidency after the next presidential election, then they could get pardoned. It’s just recently that authorities unveiled their first sedition charges tied to the riot, slapping the allegations on individuals tied to the violent, far-right group known as the Oath Keepers. The potential for cooperation could be especially potent in the more serious cases.

Meanwhile, Aguilar also discussed the prospect of the committee seeking testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence. He said that investigators were “trying to be deliberate and thoughtful” regarding the issue, adding that they’re “still taking witness testimony… but we are making significant progress with or without that testimony [from Pence].” The Congressman also said that committee members “are still processing a lot of documents that the [National] Archives has sent. And obviously, in any interview we want to do, we want to be prepared. And that means we have to process the documents and get prepared for that witness.” Investigators have apparently heard from over 400 people so far, and they’re planning public hearings for the near future to essentially lay out the case for the American people.