Parliamentary committees investigate specific matters of public policy or government administration. They provide an opportunity for organisations and individuals to participate in policy making and have their views placed on the record and considered as part of the decision-making process. Parliamentary committees are authorised to receive evidence from Ministers, the Heads of intelligence and security agencies, senior officials and experts in a range of fields. Committee members are authorised to access highly classified information in carrying out their work. They must strictly abide by the Official Secrets Act 1989 in doing so and are required to give full disclosure of any such material.
After a year and a half, the House committee probing President Trump’s campaign has issued what amounts to its final report. It finds that Trump committed multiple crimes including obstruction of an official proceeding by lying to supporters in a scheme to overturn the election results and by refusing to honor his constitutional obligation to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
The committee also found that Trump violated the federal emoluments clause by accepting gifts from foreign governments. It also recommended that the Justice Department prosecute former White House staffers who withheld documents from the committee, including Mark Meadows and Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist. The Justice Department is considering whether to pursue charges against both men.
The panel is expected to continue pressing for cooperation from Republicans who communicated with the White House in the wake of the Jan. 6 vote. The committee has asked for documents from Scott Perry and Jim Jordan, but they have signaled that they will invoke their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. The committee has also requested a deposition from Jeffrey Clark, the Trump-installed head of the Department of Justice’s civil rights division who played a key role in the election challenge effort.
With Manchin retiring, it’s likely that the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee will take on a new leadership structure. Current ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse, a climate hawk and frequent target of the president’s Twitter feed, is widely seen as the frontrunner to become chair. Whitehouse has long pushed for climate action and is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2025. He would need to win the support of a significant number of Republican senators to have a realistic shot at becoming the committee’s next chair.