WASHINGTON Scrutiny increased on Monday on how President Trump sought to foment anger at a rally of his supporters and then dispatched them to the Capitol shortly before they rioted last week, as House Democrats on Monday unveiled an article of impeachment accusing him of inciting an insurrection.
Here is an overview of some of the broader forms of legal jeopardy the president may be facing.
What criminal laws might apply?
If a grand jury were to be persuaded that Mr. Trump intentionally incited his followers to violence, several statutes could come into play.
For example, Section 373 of Title 18 of the United States code makes it a felony to induce or even to try to persuade someone to engage in the criminal “use of physical force against property or against the person of another.”
Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, lost his 25-year-old son to suicide on New Year’s Eve. Then he survived the mob attack on the Capitol. Now, he leads the impeachment effort.
Republicans Plan to Force at Least Three Votes to Invalidate Bidenâs Election
The challenges will transform the normally routine electoral count by Congress into an hourslong spectacle that has already divided Republicans, who are all but certain to fail to change the results.
Dozens of House Republicans have lined up to join three senators, ensuring that the House and the Senate must undertake lengthy debates over whether to overturn the results.Credit.Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Published Jan. 5, 2021Updated Jan. 19, 2021
WASHINGTON â Congress anxiously prepared on Tuesday for a marathon session to formalize President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.âs Electoral College victory, after Republican loyalists to President Trump confirmed they would object to the results of at least three battleground states the Democrat won.