The House committee probing the Jan. 6 insurrection has decided to make some criminal referrals to the Justice Department, according to chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). While it is still unclear who might be referred or what the charges would be, Thompson told reporters on Tuesday that witnesses who may have perjured themselves are “part of the discussion.” The referrals are slated to be delivered separate from the committee’s final, eight-chapter report, scheduled to be released by the end of the year. At play are the former president and some of his closest allies, CNN reports, who the bipartisan committee have been in wide agreement committed a crime while attempting to thwart Congress’ certification of the 2020 election. Some individuals who ignored the committee’s subpoenas were referred to the DOJ, and ultimately convicted of, contempt of Congress. Other potential charges the committee has previously considered include conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. The committee is meeting again on Tuesday to discuss next steps, according to The New York Times.
