Committee News
The committee, which is elected by EBU Members and represents the work of journalists worldwide, brings together senior editorial management to discuss new technology, best practices and other issues that affect journalism. The committee also sets the agenda for the annual News Assembly, a forum which offers news directors and editors-in-chief the opportunity to network and exchange ideas about improving coverage and reducing costs.
House investigators will have a treasure trove to review when they issue their final report on the Jan. 6 riots on the Capitol grounds. The panel interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, generating tens of thousands of pages of transcripts. Many of those interviews were filmed, and the committee has hundreds of hours of footage to release. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, has promised “a lot of documents and transcripts” will be released before the end of the year.
A key part of the committee’s executive summary will be its assertion that Trump violated multiple criminal laws during the riots. The summary will highlight alleged violations of electoral fraud and other election-related crimes, as well as federal civil rights laws.
The executive summary will say the committee has evidence to support charges of conspiracy to injure or impede the lawful exercise of the power of Congress, sedition and treason. The summary will also allege violations of the Racketeering Influence Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other federal laws.
In a sign of how serious the committee believes its conclusions are, it will refer several cases to the Justice Department. Those referrals will include possible criminal prosecution of a dozen former Trump aides and advisers. It will also include a felony complaint against the president.
Despite repeated invocations of executive privilege, the committee says it has evidence that Trump’s behavior met all of the prongs required for prosecuting election-related crimes. It notes that his campaign contacted millions of voters, telling them the election was rigged and that their donations could prevent Democrats from stealing it. It also states that the president warned voters that Vice President Biden would be an illegitimate president if he won.
The committee will continue to interview witnesses. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the GOP chair of a special commission that challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election and urged Pence to block an official count, has accepted an invitation to appear at one of the next hearings, a source close to the committee told CBS News. The committee also plans to interview J. Michael Luttig, a former judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit who was a top legal adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, and Greg Jacob, who served as chief counsel to Pence.
The committee has already referred several other individuals to the Justice Department, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone. The committee’s summary states that Cipollone is an important witness to question about his direct conversations with Trump about the riots and their aftermath. The panel hopes a recent court victory will allow it to overcome his invocation of privilege.