DOJ Is Not the President’s Legal Team
Fifth January 6 Hearing Focused on Trump Pressuring DOJ
At the conclusion of the fifth U.S. House January 6 Select Committee hearing today, which focused on Former President Donald Trump’s efforts to harness the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to undermine the 2020 election, Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Not Above the Law Coalition, released the following statement:
“The DOJ is not the president’s legal team: its purpose is to enforce the law, not break it.
“Trump pressured the DOJ to engage in an illegal scheme to steal the 2020 election. He bullied officials to help him overturn the 2020 election that he lost. We heard compelling evidence that current members of Congress were in on the unconstitutional plot, and that several members asked for pardons. You don’t ask for a pardon unless you committed a crime.
“Earlier hearings showed how Trump and his allies concocted and executed an unconstitutional campaign to force Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election. It’s clear they would stop at nothing to strong-arm state legislators and election officials into falsifying election results and sending fake electors to Washington.
“Now, almost two years later, Trump and his MAGA allies are still working to undermine our freedom to vote. Without accountability, there will be no justice.”