Members of the US House committee investigating the Capitol riot announced on Sunday that they have uncovered sufficient evidence for the Justice Department to consider an unprecedented criminal indictment against former president Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

"I would like to see the Justice Department investigate any credible allegations of criminal activity by Donald Trump," said California Democrat Adam Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee and is a committee member. "There are certain actions and aspects of these various lines of effort to overturn the election for which there is no evidence that the Justice Department is investigating," the author writes.

The committee held its first public hearing last week, with members laying out their case against Trump to demonstrate how the defeated president persistently pushed false claims of a rigged the election, despite multiple advisers telling him otherwise, and how he intensified a grand plot to overturn Joe Biden's victory.

In hearings this week, additional evidence will be presented demonstrating that Trump and some of his advisers engaged in a "massive effort" to spread misinformation, pressured the Justice Department to accept his false claims, and urged then-vice president Mike Pence to reject state electors and block the vote certification on January 6, 2021.

On Sunday, the committee members emphasized that they would offer compelling proof that "numerous" Republican politicians, including Rep. Scott Perry, had requested a pardon from Trump to shield him from prosecution. Perry denied doing so on Friday, calling the claim an "absolute, shameless, and soulless lie."

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, stated, "We will not make accusations or make statements without evidence or proof."

Legislators have hinted that Attorney General Merrick Garland, who must decide if his department can and should prosecute Trump, maybe the most crucial audience member throughout the hearings. They made no mistake regarding their opinion regarding the sufficiency of the evidence.

"Once the evidence is gathered, the Justice Department must determine whether it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the president's guilt or that of anyone else," Schiff stated. "However, they must be investigated if credible evidence exists, which I believe there is."

Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin stated that he does not aim to "browbeat" Garland but emphasized that the committee has already outlined in court filings the criminal provisions they believe Trump broke.

Raskin stated, "I believe he, his staff, and the US attorneys are aware of what is at stake here." "They recognize its significance, but I believe they are also paying close attention to historical precedents and the specifics of this case."

Garland has not defined how he may proceed, which would be unprecedented and tricky during an election season in which Trump has openly considered running for president again.

No sitting or former US president has ever been indicted.

Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 as he faced impeachment and a possible grand jury indictment for bribery, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Gerald Ford later pardoned Richard Nixon before filing criminal charges linked to Watergate.

According to legal experts, a Justice Department prosecution of Trump about the incident might create an unsettling precedent in which administrations of one party could pursue previous presidents of the other party more frequently.

Garland started at Harvard University's commencement ceremony this month, "We will follow the facts wherever they lead."

In March, a federal judge in California ruled in a civil complaint that Trump "more likely than not" committed criminal crimes by attempting to hinder January 6, 2021, congressional count of electoral college ballots. Two statutes were highlighted by the judge: obstruction of official action and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Trump has denied any misconduct.

As the mass of Trump fans, some of whom were equipped with pipes, bats, and bear spray, stormed into the Capitol, more than a hundred police officers were hurt, with many beaten and bleeding. At least nine individuals died during or after the riots, including a lady who was murdered by police gunfire.

Rep. Elaine Luria stated that the committee's inquiry would also shed light on crucial occasions when Trump failed to act as violence escalated.

"It was his responsibility to speak up and try to stop this," she stated. Therefore, we will discuss this and what I perceive to be his breach of duty.

Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska who is not a committee member, stated that Trump's actions leading up to the uprising remain unacceptable.

He stated that the president had more than three hours to speak against the violence. "And I believe it was carelessness, and he should've done better."

Bacon stated, "Whether it's illegal or not, I'm not a lawyer or judge, but I thought it was wrong."

Schiff appeared on ABC's "This Week," Raskin on CNN's "State of the Union," Kinzinger on CBS's "Face the Nation," and Luria and Bacon on NBC's "Meet the Press."