For much of 2021 and 2022, as a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, I spent hours virtually attending testimony, and even more hours in person, from witnesses. I worked alongside dedicated colleagues from both parties and dozens of effective investigators, many of whom were former prosecutors. The committee’s mission was to provide a factual account to the American people about what happened on Jan. 6 and what led up to that attempt to upend our republic. Most of those who testified were members of former President Donald Trump’s team. We uncovered a mountain of evidence that identified Trump as the center of a wide-ranging, multifaceted criminal effort to keep power despite a free and fair election that he had lost. On Tuesday, having seen evidence of this effort, a federal grand jury voted to indict the former president in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference.
In 2022, our select committee faced an ever-ticking clock as the 117th congressional session came to a close. At the time, I knew what we were doing was important, but until recently, I didn’t understand the true gravity of our work in terms of holding the former president legally accountable.
Until recently, I didn’t understand the true gravity of our work in terms of holding the former president legally accountable.
Last month, The Washington Post reported that for more than a year after the Jan. 6 attack, Justice Department prosecutors and the FBI resisted opening a probe into Trump and other instigators of the plot. While federal agents charged hundreds of foot soldiers, Justice officials “continued to have conflicting views” on pursuing the plotters.
According to the Post, experts say the select committee’s work embarrassed the Justice Department into investigating Trump. The Post reports that “accounts about the committee’s discoveries fueled public criticism that the Justice Department appeared to be lagging.” If our findings kicked the DOJ into gear, our work on the select committee was even more worthwhile. The select committee may be one of the most significant in American history.
The former president now faces an indictment for his conduct leading up to and on Jan. 6. But Trump is running for president again — perhaps in part to avoid prison if he wins. It’s also necessary to consider what his goals are other than avoiding jail. What will he do to our democracy if he actually wins?
The former president has actually called to “terminate” the Constitution. He says he intends to destroy the independence of the three branches of government that keep each other in check and take all the power for himself. That’s an existential threat for our country and, frankly, for the world. I’ve learned we need to take Trump’s threats and words at face value. In addition to serving on the select committee, I participated in all four modern presidential impeachment proceedings as either a member of Congress or as staff. Ahead of the Senate trial for Trump’s first impeachment, I opined that the case was the worst I had seen, worse even than Richard Nixon’s. Trump’s activities since then have shown that judgment was too mild. The multifaceted, wide-ranging scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election was the gravest threat to the constitutional order in modern history. I’ve learned we need to take Trump’s threats and words at face value. On the Jan. 6 select committee, we investigated the law and facts surrounding Trump’s attempt to overthrow the government of the United States from many angles. Our conclusions were not leaps to judgment — but products of long and serious examination of evidence. I lament that this was needed. A DOJ official called it the “Trump Tax” that forces investigative resources into prosecutions of the former president. That’s an apt description and a sad one. It’s a sad time for the country — not because the Justice Department has again indicted a former president, but because his criminal behavior requires accountability. The indictment is the latest step on that journey. I am proud that our select committee did its part.
Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren represents California's 18th district in the House of Representatives. 
