Mass. leaders react to Jan. 6 criminal referrals: 'Trump must never again hold public office'

By: CBS/AP

WASHINGTON - The House Jan. 6 committee is urging the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and his allies. It is finishing its investigation of the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection with what lawmakers call a "roadmap to justice." 

The panel's seven Democrats and two Republicans are recommending criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped him launch a multifaceted pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss. The charges recommended by the committee are conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to make a false statement and aiding an insurrection. 

Here's what leaders in Massachusetts had to say about the committee's vote on Monday:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

"No one is above the law. Not even a former president of the United States."

Sen. Ed Markey

"The American people today and for generations to come are in debt to the January 6th Committee for their work to uncover and document the lies told, fraud committed, and violence stoked by Donald Trump. It's clearer than ever that he belongs in a jailhouse, not the White House."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss 

"The bipartisan January 6th Committee has affirmed, via thorough and transparent fact-finding, that Donald Trump committed insurrection. The Department of Justice should prosecute him. Congress should enact the Electoral Count Act Reform to prevent another constitutional crisis.

And the American people, of all political persuasions, should heed Abraham Lincoln's warning: 'If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide.' Donald Trump tried to be the 'finisher' of our democracy. He must never again hold public office." 

Rep. Lori Trahan

"January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation's history. Police officers were beaten and overrun, people lost their lives, and our democracy was forced to the brink of collapse - all because the former president refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 election.

What's clear from the Committee's comprehensive and bipartisan investigation is that Donald Trump and his closest advisers knew what they were doing in the leadup to January 6th. They knew the potential for violence as they called for tens of thousands of supporters to descend on the U.S. Capitol, and they sat on their hands as a violent insurrection unfolded. In the nearly two years since then, Trump and his allies have attempted to downplay the severity of the attack, minimize their role in the plot, and undermine the ability of investigators to uncover the full truth of what happened on January 6th and hold the insurrectionists accountable.

Just as he did on January 6th, Donald Trump lost. Today's vote is proof that the pillars of our democracy are strong. It's proof that there are still members of both parties who are willing to honor their oath to the Constitution, even if it costs them their career in public office. Like so many Americans, I am deeply grateful to the members of the Committee for their exhaustive and impartial work to see this bipartisan investigation through to its conclusion. Next, we must act on their recommendations to ensure nothing like January 6th ever happens again."