On December 22 local time, the Special Investigation Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives responsible for investigating the riots in the Capitol released its final investigation report, disclosing the results of a detailed investigation into the riots in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The 845-page report records in detail that “former President Trump failed to fulfill his constitutional obligations” and “instead conspired to overturn the election results.”
The international reputation of the United States has been severely damaged
After the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Republican Trump refused to concede defeat to Democratic rival Biden, repeatedly claiming that there was large-scale election fraud.
On January 6, 2021, when Congress was verifying the election results, a large number of Trump supporters violently broke into the Capitol and caused riots, killing 5 people and injuring hundreds.
In July 2021, the Special Investigative Committee on the Riots in the Capitol Building of the U.S. House of Representatives was established. The committee consists of seven Democrats and two Republicans.
In 11 previous public hearings, the investigative committee called more than 1,000 witnesses and reviewed thousands of documents.
The commission’s final report released 17 findings, including Trump’s known illegal efforts to pressure former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to “refuse to count electoral votes” and “illegally” to state officials and legislators. Agency pressure to overturn the election and never ordering the deployment of the National Guard after the unrest began.
Screenshot of the New York Times report
The investigative committee recommended that the U.S. Department of Justice indict Trump on four counts: sedition; obstruction of official process; conspiracy to deceive the United States; conspiracy to make false statements.
On December 19 local time, Chairman of the Special Investigation Committee on the Riots in the Capitol of the US House of Representatives and US Representative Benny Thompson delivered a speech
On the first anniversary of the riots in the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. “Capitol Hill” published an article stating that the riots have caused the United States to remain deeply divided and severely damaged the international reputation of the United States.
The article stated that the United States and its allies are commemorating the serious violent challenge to the American democratic process.
The article quoted an unnamed European diplomat as saying that the riots in the U.S. Congress highlighted the huge threat facing American democracy, and people began to question whether the United States has the ability to overcome these challenges?
Screenshot of “Capitol Hill” report
A survey of international respondents released by the Pew Research Center in November 2021 found that only 17% of people think that the so-called “American democracy” is a good example; while 57% of people think that the United States has not been a good example in recent years .
Screenshot of the report on the Pew Research Center website
The American “Foreign Affairs” magazine published an article in October this year saying that the US’s global leadership is facing a crisis-not a crisis of economic vitality, diplomatic strength or military strength, but a crisis of legitimacy.
Around the world, numerous opinion polls and interviews show that the public and elites in countries that consider themselves allies of the United States harbor misgivings about the state and direction of American democracy. They no longer look to the United States as a model, and they worry about whether the American political system can still produce trustworthy results.
Screenshot of the US “Foreign Affairs” magazine report
“This just shows the hypocrisy of American democracy”
For a long time, former US President Trump has expressed strong opposition and dissatisfaction with the committee’s investigations and a series of hearings.
The Trump campaign has also frequently attacked the committee and its members, saying the investigation was politically motivated.
After the House of Representatives Special Investigation Committee made relevant recommendations on December 19 this year, Trump immediately issued a statement on his personal social platform saying that members of the House of Representatives attempted to make false accusations against him. , the allegations are an attempt to marginalize him and the Republican Party.
Screenshot of Trump’s social media
The U.S. “Politician” news network “supports” Trump, saying that the investigative committee has spent months straightening out Trump’s various actions to undermine the election, claiming that Trump is seeking to obtain a second election through illegal means. A number of crimes were committed during the course of his tenure.
Screenshot of Politico report
Reuters commented that the House Special Investigations Committee’s action marked the first time in U.S. history that Congress requested criminal prosecution of a former president.
However, the voting results of the House of Representatives Special Investigation Committee are only a “suggestion” and are not legally binding. Whether Trump will be criminally prosecuted will be decided by the US Department of Justice.
Screenshot of Reuters report
Regarding the implications of this final report for Trump,Guo Xiangang, a researcher at the China Institute of International StudiesAccording to the analysis, although the House of Representatives handed over the investigation results to the Department of Justice, according to the internal regulations of the U.S. Department of Justice, it is impossible to investigate the behavior of the former president during his tenure. Therefore, the symbolic significance of this investigation is greater than the substantive significance.
“This matter may end up in a farce, which just shows the hypocrisy of American democracy.”
Material source丨Global Information Broadcasting “Global Deep Observation”
Reporter丨Wang Hongling
Editor丨Shan Lijuan and Lin Wei
Signing review丨Li Yan Liu Peng Zou Haoyu
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责编：杨煜 ]