The committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol has requested that Donald Trump be charged with obstruction and rebellion for his part in instigating the deadly riot.

The Democratic-led select committee's request to the Justice Department is non-binding. Still, it comes at a time when a special counsel oversees two other federal investigations of the Republican former president related to his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and the removal of classified White House files.

The panel requested that Trump be charged with obstruction of a congressional procedure, conspiracy to defraud the United States, making false statements, and assisting or inciting insurrection by the Justice Department.

"An insurrection is a rebellion against the authority of the United States. It is a major federal offense, based in the Constitution itself," said Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the select committee member, as he revealed the allegations.

A Justice Department representative declined to comment on the committee's move. A representative for Trump did not reply quickly to a request for comment.

This was the final public meeting of a nine-member panel that spent 18 months investigating the unprecedented attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power by thousands of Trump supporters, inspired by his false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.

In addition, the committee stated that it had sent four Republican House members, including Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, to the chamber's ethics committee for failing to cooperate with its legal subpoenas during its investigation of the attack.

"If we are to remain as a nation of laws and democracy, this can never happen again," said Representative Bennie Thompson, the select committee's head, as the meeting began.

Slamming Trump for calling the mob to the Capitol nearly two years ago, Thompson also attacked the former president for weakening faith in the democratic system.

"If faith is destroyed, then so is our democracy. Donald Trump betrayed that faith," Thompson stated.

Trump has already begun his campaign to secure the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

Multiple investigations

The select committee's work is one of several inquiries into the unrest. Five individuals, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the incident, while over 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol was damaged to the tune of millions of dollars.

"Among the most humiliating of this committee's findings was President Trump sat in the dining room off the Oval Office, watching the violent riot at the Capitol on television," Representative Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on the committee and its vice chairperson, stated.

A jury has previously found members of the right-wing militia Oath Keepers guilty of seditious activity for their participation in the attack. Last month, Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed to handle federal investigations into Trump.

Since leaving office, Trump has encountered numerous legal issues. His real estate company was convicted on December 6 of carrying out a 15-year-long criminal plot to mislead tax officials.

Trump has rejected as politically motivated the several probes he faces. He says the January 6 committee, dominated by Democrats, is prejudiced against him.

Before the meeting, the former president said on his Truth Social platform, "The biased Unselect Committee is unlawfully leaking classified information to everyone who will listen." How much longer will Republicans and American Patriots permit this to continue?

The select committee unanimously adopted its findings, which included the suggestion of charges, with all seven Democrats and two Republicans voting in favor.

The House Ways and Means Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss what to do with Trump's tax returns, which it received following a protracted court battle late last month. Trump was the only presidential candidate in decades who did not release his tax returns during his campaigns.