WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee plans to release any criminal references as part of its final report, committee members said Wednesday.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chair of the committee, told reporters Tuesday that he expects the panel to make criminal referrals, but that members are still weighing who would be targeted by the referrals and how much the panel would make.
The commission plans to release its report the week of December 19, with two sources telling NBC News that the panel is looking forward to a December 21 release date.
In addition to considering a referral involving former President Donald Trump, the committee could express contempt for references made by Congress to fellow members who ignored its subpoenas, to witnesses it believes lied to its investigators, and to individuals who she said attempted to intimidate witnesses in the investigation.
The commission is required by law to issue its report by December 31, so any references to the Justice Department or other agencies would be come before the end of the year.
The committee is still meeting. [We have a] upcoming meeting and decision points to be made,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., a committee member. “We will announce anything we likely have as part of our final report.”
The report will be a huge compilation of the commission’s work over the past year and a half, outlining its findings and recommendations and possible legislation to prevent something like the January 6 attack from happening again. Thompson has said the document could be up to eight chapters.
Aguilar said committee members now meet “almost daily” and have a lot of work to do before deciding on the shape and fashion of the pending referrals.
“We have not made any final decisions yet. Our options are on the table. Referrals to external agencies are possible and once the committee is done with our work, we will continue to share our results,” he said.
The timing of the report is later than members initially hoped.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said Wednesday, “I think we’re almost done, but we’re not quite there yet.”
The committee will release the report as part of a public business meeting, where members will vote to adopt the findings and recommendations. Details about the public nature of that meeting are being discussed.
There are also plans to release all of the information gathered by the committee’s investigators. This would coincide with the publication of the report.
A spokesperson for the commission declined to comment on the panel’s schedule.
In court cases, attorneys for the committee have already argued that they believe Trump has committed a crime. The commission made those arguments in federal court when it sought documents from attorney John Eastman, who played a prominent role in the panel’s public hearings.
Referrals from the committee have no legal weight, but serve as recommendations to authorities.
Dareh Gregorian contributed.
