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The House select committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2001, announced it was sending criminal referrals to the Department of Justice during its tenth and final public hearing on Monday (December 19).
Former President Trump was the subject of four referrals for obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the federal government, conspiracy to make a false statement, and insurrection.
"If the faith is broken, so is our democracy," committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said during his opening remarks. "Donald Trump broke that faith. He lost the 2020 election and knew it, but he chose to try to stay in office through a multi-part scheme to overturn the results and block the transfer of power."
"In the end, he summoned a mob to Washington," Thompson added.
Before the vote, committee members took turns recapping the findings of their 18-month investigation to support the criminal referrals.
The committee also showed new testimony from former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, in which she said Trump defended the rioters during a conversation she had with him on January 7.
The committee will release a full report on its findings on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice did not comment on the referrals. The agency is currently involved in an extensive investigation into the riot at the U.S. Capitol. In addition, a special counsel has been tasked to run the investigation into Trump's role in the violence.
Four members of Congress were also referred for sanction by the House Ethics Committee for failing to comply with a subpoena. Those lawmakers were identified after the meeting as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.