Good morning and welcome to way too early on this Tuesday, December 20th. I'm Jonathan Lemire.

Thanks for starting your day with us. We'll begin with the historic criminal referrals against

former President Donald Trump from the January 6th Committee. It's the first time Congress has

ever referred a former president for prosecution, and the

committee yesterday recommended that the DOJ prosecute Trump on four charges for his role in the

attack on the Capitol.

Those charges are obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud

the United States, conspiracy to make a false

statement, and inciting or assisting an insurrection. Here's how committee chairman,

Benny Thompson, and vice chair Liz Cheney opened yesterday's hearing. Beyond our findings,

we will also show that evidence we've gathered points to further action

beyond the power of this committee or the Congress to help ensure accountability under law.

Accountability that can only be found in the criminal justice system.

No man who would behave that way at that moment in time can ever serve in any position of

authority in our nation again. He is unfit for any office.

Marilyn Congressman Jamie Raskin laid out the seriousness of the charges and why the former

president must be held accountable.

The dangerous assault on American constitutional democracy that took place on January 6th,

2021 consists of hundreds of individual criminal offenses.

Most such crimes are already being prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

We proposed to the committee advancing referrals where the gravity of the specific offense,

the severity of its actual harm, and the centrality of the offender to the overall design of the specific offense, the severity of its actual harm, and the centrality of the offender

...