The first anniversary of the greatest assault on American democracy in recent history has arrived: Jan. 6.
And while the worst actors from the insurrection continue to receive significant prison sentences, some believe the biggest instigator, if not the chief orchestrator, former President Donald Trump, may soon have his day in court.
“The walls might be closing in on Trump due to investigations on his legal accountability. Many believe that he was contesting the 2020 elections to buy himself time in office to evade authorities from questioning his tax fraud allegations,” said Ryan Yount, the founder of LuckLuckGo, a website for GPS protection tools.
“Thanks to effort from prosecutors, his long-lasting battle with authorities might come to an end due to the multiple investigations he is facing,” Yount said.
He added that prosecutors in New York continue to review whether Trump broke the law in his Ukraine dealings, which led to his first impeachment.
Indeed, New York prosecutors have issued several subpoenas, and earlier in 2021, they received permission to peer into some of Trump’s heavily-guarded tax records.
New York Attorney General Letitia James recently announced she would drop out of the race for governor to redouble efforts in investigating the former president.
In Georgia, Trump could still face felony charges for allegedly threatening Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger because he didn’t help Trump “find” enough votes to overturn his loss in that state to President Joe Biden.
However, Trump’s role in the insurrection could potentially pose the biggest threat to the former president. Some legal experts have said Trump could eventually face charges ranging from inciting a riot to treason. Meanwhile, the government has continued to investigate losses that resulted from the breach of the Capitol which include damage to the building and grounds, both inside and outside the building.
According to a May 2021 estimate by the Architect of the Capitol, the attack caused approximately $1.5 million worth of damage to the U.S. Capitol building.
Meanwhile, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continue to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale.
Based on public court documents, as of December 30, 2021, more than 725 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 225 have faced charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including over 75 individuals charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office release, approximately 140 police officers were assaulted on January 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 U.S. Capitol Police and close to 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Authorities arrested 10 individuals on charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media or destroying their equipment.
Another 640 defendants faced charges of entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds. In addition, authorities charged more than 75 defendants with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
Further, at least 45 arrests were made where individuals allegedly destroyed government property and over 30 defendants faced charges of theft of government property.
Authorities also charged at least 275 defendants with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding or attempting to do so. Approximately 40 defendants faced conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding and law enforcement during a civil disorder and to injure an officer.
To date, about 165 of those responsible have pleaded guilty to various federal charges, from misdemeanors to felony obstruction, many of whom face incarceration at sentencing.
Approximately 145 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. Twenty have pleaded guilty to felonies. Six of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to charges related to assaults on law enforcement. Four people now face statutory maximums of 20 years or more in prison and potential financial penalties. Two face statutory maximums of eight years in prison and potential financial penalties.
For his part, Trump has continued his crusade against the January 6 investigation. He recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the National Archives from turning over his White House records to the January 6 committee.
The committee has requested numerous documents related to the insurrection, including communications between Trump’s White House and the Department of Justice in the days leading up to the attack, suggesting that investigators are homing in on the former president.
While Trump has claimed executive privilege, President Joe Biden has refused to declare the records as privileged.
“With all the developments, prosecutors are closing in on the instigator. Trump himself,” stated Andre Flynn, founder of Gandets.com.
“Had he accepted [his election loss], none of this would have happened,” Flynn remarked.