After 18 months of investigations, the Jan. 6 report is out. Here are the toplines (2024)

President Trump arrives to speak to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. The rally later turned into a riot that breached the U.S. Capitol. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

After 18 months of investigations, the Jan. 6 report is out. Here are the toplines (2)

President Trump arrives to speak to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. The rally later turned into a riot that breached the U.S. Capitol.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

After roughly 18 months of investigations, the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has released their full report.

The document, which is more than 800 pages long, recommends the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in the attack. And they say Congress should act to bar Trump, and others involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, from ever holding federal office again.

A summary of the full report was released Monday after the committee concluded its final public hearing. More documents are still expected to be released.

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"As the Select Committee concludes its work, their words must be a clarion call to all Americans: to vigilantly guard our Democracy and to give our vote only to those dutiful in their defense of our Constitution," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in the report.

Despite criminal referrals against him and a mountain of evidence showing otherwise, Trump — now a presidential candidate once again — has continued to post on social media since the report was released to repeat his lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

In addition to the criminal referrals to the DOJ, the committee laid out 11 recommendations aimed at better protecting the American democratic system from future attacks. Those recommendations include clarifying that the role of the vice president in the transition of power is purely ceremonial and a new federal law enforcement emphasis on anti-government extremist groups.

After 18 months of investigations, the Jan. 6 report is out. Here are the toplines (5)

Members of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol hold its last public meeting on Capitol Hill on Monday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

What are the committee's main recommendations?

  1. Citing the 14th amendment, the committee recommended Trump should be barred from holding federal or state office ever again. They also recommend the creation of a "formal mechanism" to evaluate whether those who took part in the insurrection should be barred from holding future government office on federal and other levels.
  2. The committee also recommends that Congress should make stronger criminal penalties for those who obstruct a peaceful transfer of power,
  3. And they recommend federal penalties for those who threaten election workers. The committee's investigation found that many of the people who refused to be pushed into manipulating election results, including governors, secretaries of state, state legislators, state and local election officials, and frontline election workers, found themselves subjected to spamming, doxing, harassment, intimidation, and violent threats. Some of those threats were sexualized or racist in nature and targeted family members.
  4. The committee subpoenaed several individuals in the process of their investigation, but their authority to enforce those subpoenas is unclear. The committee recommends the creation of new legislation that would enforce House subpoenas in federal court.
  5. The committee also recommends more oversight over the Capitol Police. "Congressional committees of jurisdiction should continue regular and rigorous oversight of the United States Capitol Police as it improves its planning, training, equipping, and intelligence processes and practices its critical incident response protocols," they write. They said there should be joint hearings with testimony from the Capitol Police Board.

What else is in the report?

Pro-Trump supporters attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A House select committee has spent roughly a year and a half investigating what led to the riot and released its full report on Friday. Samuel Corum/Getty Images hide caption

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Samuel Corum/Getty Images

After 18 months of investigations, the Jan. 6 report is out. Here are the toplines (7)

Pro-Trump supporters attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A House select committee has spent roughly a year and a half investigating what led to the riot and released its full report on Friday.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

The report is broken into eight sections: the former president's election lies and declarations of victory, Trump's efforts to "find" additional votes, his pressure campaigns targeting federal and state officials to overturn the 2020 election results and the events of Jan. 6 itself.

Other key details in the report mirror the findings of the committee laid out in previous hearings that took place over the last year:

  • Trump planned to declare victory regardless of the outcome. The committee lays out how Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election was not spontaneous, but premeditated.
  • Trump was aware of the risk of violence when he called on his supporters to march on the Capitol. The report shows how extremist groups like the Oathkeepers and the Proud Boys banded together for the insurrection. "President Trump had summoned a mob, including armed extremists and conspiracy theorists, to Washington, DC on the same day the joint session of Congress was to meet. He then told that same mob to march on the US Capitol and 'fight.' They clearly got the message," the committee wrote.
  • Trump was aware of violence at the Capitol for more than three hours before he agreed to intervene. The report calls this period of time "187 minutes of dereliction," in which they say Trump drank Diet Coke, put off advice from advisers, including his daughter Ivanka, and watched Fox News during the insurrection. The committee laid out a timeline of what happened leading up to and during those three hours, which entailed increasing tension between Trump and Vice President Pence and Trump himself attempting to go to the Capitol to join his supporters.
  • Top aides to the president were aware that election fraud investigations would not change the election outcome. The committee argues that Trump and his allies not only lied about election fraud, but ripped-off their supporters by asking for money for lawsuits to fight the election results.

You can read more on NPR's coverage of the committee's public hearings here.

Politics

Read the Jan. 6 committee's report and recommendations for preventing another riot

What happens now that the report is out?

What will come of the committee's recommendations is unclear. While lawmakers made recommendations to the Department of Justice, it doesn't necessarily mean the department has to act.

In their report, the committee also referred four Republican House members — Kevin McCarthy of California, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Andy Biggs of Arizona — to the House Ethics Committee for failure to comply with subpoenas. But in the new year, Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives, which means it's possible that these four House members don't face any repercussions.

National

Jan. 6 committee votes on criminal referrals against Trump

Jan. 6 committee votes on criminal referrals against Trump

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But at least one point from the committee has taken hold already: an update to the Electoral Count Act, which Congress passed this week in connection to a major spending bill. The updated legislation further clarifies that the vice president's role in certifying the election is entirely ceremonial.

NPR's Halimah Abdullah, Claudia Grisales, Giulia Heyward, Eric McDaniel, Muthoni Muturi, Barbara Sprunt, Katherine Swartz and Rachel Treisman contributed to this report.

After 18 months of investigations, the Jan. 6 report is out. Here are the toplines (2024)

FAQs

What were the final findings of the January 6th Committee? ›

For Trump, the committee concluded there is enough evidence to convict, and therefore recommend the Department of Justice to make the following criminal charges:
  • Obstruction of an official proceeding. ...
  • Conspiracy to defraud the United States. ...
  • Conspiracy to knowingly make a false statement.
Jan 6, 2024

What was the purpose of the January 6th Committee? ›

The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (commonly referred to as the January 6th Committee) was a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established to investigate the U.S. Capitol attack.

What happened on the 6th of January? ›

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-U.S. president Donald Trump, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

Who are the members of the January 6 committee? ›

Majority Committee Members
  • Zoe Lofgren. - 19.
  • Adam Schiff. - 28.
  • Pete Aguilar. - 31.
  • Stephanie Murphy. - 07.
  • Jamie Raskin. Maryland - 08.
  • Elaine Luria. - 02.

What did the Jan 6 report say? ›

Trump's repeated, false claims of widespread voter fraud resonated with his supporters, the committee said, and were amplified on social media, building on the distrust of government he had fostered for his four years in office. And he did little to stop them when they resorted to violence and stormed the Capitol.

What is the 6th of January? ›

Known in Ireland as Nollaig na mBan, January 6 is regarded as the end of the Christmas season. Originally celebrated as the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day, January 6 is a Christian feast which marks the visit of the three wise men to Bethlehem after the birth of Christ.

Is a standing committee temporary or permanent? ›

Standing Committees are permanent committees established under the standing rules of the Senate and specialize in the consideration of particular subject areas.

Why are joint committees important? ›

Joint committees include Members from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Joint committees debate and report on matters concerning the Congress rather than issues of public policy.

What is a house select committee? ›

A select or special committee of the United States Congress is a congressional committee appointed to perform a special function that is beyond the authority or capacity of a standing committee.

Why is the 6th of January Important? ›

Epiphany - also known as Three Kings' Day - is a Christian feast day which falls on 6 January. It is a special date for many Christians as it's when people celebrate how a star led the Magi - also known as the Three kings or the Wise Men - to visit the baby Jesus after he had been born.

What's happening on January 6th, 2024? ›

January 6th, 2024, the third anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, is also going to be to mark the beginning of 2024 -- a big year that will again test many of our democratic institutions.

What holiday is celebrated on January 6th? ›

When is Epiphany? Epiphany is observed on January 6 by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Christians of other Western traditions. Eastern traditions that follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar celebrate Epiphany on January 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on January 6.

What is Adam Kinzinger doing now? ›

Kinzinger did not seek reelection to Congress in 2022. After leaving office, he joined CNN as a senior political commentator.

Who is the head of the January 6th committee? ›

Release of Select Committee Materials

Chairman Thompson is interested in any information regarding the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

What is a committee conference? ›

Going to conference

Conference committees operate after the House and the Senate have passed different versions of a bill. Conference committees exist to draft a compromise bill that both houses can accept. Both houses of Congress must pass identical legislation in order for a bill to be presented to the president.

What is an example of a select committee in the House? ›

Examples include the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the House and the Select Committee on Intelligence in the Senate. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is a select committee, though the word select is no longer a part of its name.

What is a joint committee? ›

The four joint committees, made up of senators and representatives, provide administrative coordination between the House and Senate and conduct studies for the benefit of both houses. For a complete list of Senate committees and their current membership, click here. Historical Overview. Committee Assignments.

What is a conference committee in government? ›

A conference committee is a joint committee of the United States Congress appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill.

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