States United Urges Accountability for January 6th, Commends Select Committee Action

Published: 12.19.22

The States United Democracy Center released the following statement in response to today’s announcement by the House January 6 Select Committee: 

The January 6th attack was the violent result of a months-long criminal conspiracy to overturn an election, undermine the will of the American voters, and block the peaceful transfer of power. It wasn’t just an attack on the Capitol — it was an attack on the country, the American people, and our freedom to vote. And we can’t ever let it happen again.  

Accountability is among the strongest tools we have for preventing another January 6 and defending our democracy. We commend the bipartisan January 6 Select Committee for referring former President Trump, John Eastman, and others for prosecution for inciting insurrection, conspiring to defraud the United States, and other crimes. This critical step comes after interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses, nine public hearings, and more than a year of work by a seasoned team of experts specializing in national security, intelligence, and the law. 

The Select Committee’s work established extensive evidence that the former president, Eastman, and others, including Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Rudy Giuliani, and Mark Meadows, worked to overturn a free and fair election in 2020. They pressured state officials, the Justice Department, and Vice President Pence in an attempt to keep Trump in power, long after they knew he had lost. They conspired to submit false statements and false slates of electors, and obstructed official proceedings.  

These acts violated our democracy and the rule of law. The Justice Department will now determine whether they should be charged as crimes. No one is above the law in America, including former presidents.  

This is the beginning — not the end — of accountability for the masterminds of January 6th. As we told the Select Committee earlier this month, the attorneys who took part in the campaign to overturn the election betrayed their sworn professional responsibility, breached their ethical duty, and abused our legal system. We encourage state bars to study the evidence compiled by the Select Committee and make sure these attorneys face appropriate consequences.