The House Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol said Wednesday that there was enough evidence to conclude that former President Donald J. Trump and some of his allies might have conspired to commit fraud and obstruction by misleading Americans about the outcome of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the result.

According to the brief submitted by the House Committee, “The Select Committee… has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.” The brief names John Eastman, the former President’s attorney, as one of President Trump’s largest allies in spreading falsehoods to the American public. The brief details Attorney Eastman’s behavior, which included putting immense pressure on former Vice President Michael R. Pence to reject the electoral colleges vote for now-President Joseph Biden even though Eastman and former President Trump had been repeatedly assured from countless sources that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud. 

The brief further described how many members of the public acted in reliance on former President Trump’s and Attorney Eastman’s statements. “Several defendants in their pending criminal cases [pertaining to the January 6 attack] identified the President’s allegations about the stolen election as a motivation for their activities at the Capitol.” As well as, a specific defendant released a statement through his attorney, stating:

I was in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, because I believed I was following the instructions of former President Trump and he was my president and commander-in-chief. His statements also had me believing the election was stolen from him.

The House Committee’s brief signifies the most direct line that has been drawn between former President Trump, his allies, and potential criminal activity surrounding the 2020 election. The former president and his attorney have not yet been charged with any crime.