Will Trump be charged with inciting insurrection?
The US Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the State Capitol has recommended charging former US President Donald Trump with four crimes, including conspiracy and insurrection. For Attorney General Merrick Garland the recommendation poses a real dilemma, Europe's press observes.
Absence of a trial worse than a trial
US Attorney General Merrick Garland now has a difficult decision to make, Dagens Nyheter notes:
“If the evidence is strong, Garland will reasonably have no choice but to press charges. To hold back because of political risks would be to put politics above the law. ... From a practical point of view, that could prove more fatal than a trial. It would send the signal that the president is above the law and cannot be held accountable even if he tries to overthrow the entire republic.”
Sending a signal
This trial is about protecting the democratic system, says Népszava:
“If politicians were to sweep this incident under the carpet for practical reasons, it would be an incentive for future imitators of Trump including fascists who display more talent than he does. The point is not to put Trump in jail, but for his fate to serve as a warning signal for the future. Otherwise, democracy could disappear - and not just overseas.”
Rivals must make up their minds
This won't make things any easier for other leading Republicans, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
“It will be interesting to see how Ron DeSantis and other conservative rivals handle the serious accusations against Trump. Perhaps not in a criminal sense, but politically most Republicans are deeply involved in the 'conspiracy against the United States' that the committee is talking about. If they distance themselves now, they will be under pressure to justify their previous stance. If they continue to defend Trump, they could breathe new life into his candidacy.”
Republicans will bury the case
Once again it looks like the former president could get off scot-free, L'Opinion sighs:
“Trump has already survived two impeachment proceedings, including one as a result of the infamous storming of the Capitol, and it would be premature to write him off politically. ... The Republican party will control the House of Representatives starting early January, and it will gleefully bury the case while raising other charges against Joe Biden. As for Trump, he denounces 'false accusations' by a 'highly partisan' Committee that he says is, 'working to prevent me from running in the next presidential election because they know I will win'. This is how (badly) democracy works in the US.”
Triumph of the truth
Whether or not Trump is prosecuted, the January 6th Committee on the storming of the US Capitol has already achieved a lot, says the Irish Independent:
“Millions of Americans have tuned into each hearing. Multiple polls this past summer indicated that more than 60pc of Americans now believe Mr Trump was responsible for the events of January 6. In the mid-terms, we saw this belief reflected at the ballot box. Trump-backed election deniers lost in every key toss-up race. It's clear that the Committee triumphed as an anti-disinformation project, using repetition and other anti-disinformation tactics with great effectiveness.”