Headline RoundupJuly 26th, 2022

Report: Justice Department Investigating Trump’s Actions in Jan. 6 'Criminal Probe'

Summary from the AllSides News Team

The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) on Tuesday night reported that the Department of Justice is investigating former President Donald Trump's actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election as part of a "criminal probe."

Citing four sources familiar with the matter, the report claimed that the Justice Department has been conducting interviews with former White House officials. Prosecutors are reportedly inquiring about Trump's privately-held conferences that took place in the weeks leading up to the Capitol riot, his attempts to convince former Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the election results, and the extent he was involved in his outside attorneys' efforts to substitute electors in battleground states where Joe Biden won. The investigation is notably separate from the ongoing hearings being led by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While the function of the committee hearings is to solely present collected evidence against Trump, the Justice Department probe could result in definitive charges. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday suggested that the Justice Department isn't ruling out the possibility of prosecuting Trump over the Capitol riot.

Several news outlets across the spectrum noted that they had spoken to sources that heard about the Justice Department's investigation. Left-rated coverage highlighted how the Justice Department is facing growing criticism for its "slow-moving investigation" into Trump's "fake-elector scheme." Right-rated coverage accentuated that prosecutors never brought charges against a former president because they didn't want it to be seen as using government power to "go after political opponents."

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