During an interview that aired on CBS News’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday, the federal prosecutor who previously led the criminal investigation into the Capitol riot said former President Trump could be culpable for his role in the raid.
Michael Sherwin told CBS host Scott Pelley that it was “unequivocal” that the former president was “the magnet that brought the people to D.C. on the 6th” before his supporters stormed the Capitol building.
“Now the question is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege, during the breach?” Sherwin said after Scott Pelley asked if Trump’s role has been part of the probe.
“We have plenty of people – we have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying ‘Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house,’” he said. “That moves the needle towards that direction. The president is culpable for these actions.”
But the federal prosecutor added that two militia members have said in public record, “‘You know what? We did this because Trump just talks a big game. He’s just all talk. We did what he wouldn’t do.’”
Pelley followed up asking Sherwin, “In short you have investigators looking into the president’s role?”
“We have people looking at everything, correct,” Sherwin responded. “Everything’s being looked at.”
Trump was impeached for a second time a week before his presidency ended over the insurrection but was acquitted by the Senate. Ten House Republicans voted in favor of impeachment and seven Senate Republicans voted to convict the former president.
