House January 6 committee member says seeing the DOJ charge Trump isn't his main concern: 'Our democracy is on the line here. Our Constitution is at stake.'
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The House committee investigating the Capitol riot is holding public hearings over its findings.
Rep. Jamie Raskin told an interviewer his main concern was preventing another insurrection.
He added that whether the DOJ filed charges against Donald Trump wasn't his "principal interest."
Rep. Jamie Raskin says his "principal interest" following the House investigation into the Capitol riot isn't whether the Department of Justice files charges against former President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, the ABC "This Week" host Martha Raddatz asked Raskin whether he'd be "disappointed" if the Justice Department didn't file charges against Trump.
Raskin, a member of the House select committee investigating the attack, replied: "Speaking for myself, that is not my principal interest. Our democracy is on the line here. Our Constitution is at stake."
His remarks come with the House committee holding public hearings describing its findings about the January 6, 2021, attack and what led up to it, with a particular focus on Trump's actions disputing his reelection defeat.
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Raskin suggested the Capitol attack might set a precedent in which politicians upset with election results become emboldened to try to seize power.
"I'm principally interested in telling the American people the truth so we can fortify our institutions against coups and insurrections going forward," Raskin said.
"But I know there is a great public hunger for individual criminal accountability, and I've got confidence in the Department of Justice, in Attorney General Merrick Garland, to do the right thing in terms of making all the difficult decisions about particular cases."
Other members of the committee, however, have said the Justice Department should look into any crime Trump may have committed related to the January 6 riot.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who sits on the panel and also leads the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC News earlier this month that he wanted to see the department examine Trump's pursuit to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory.
"I would like to see the Justice Department investigate any credible allegation of criminal activity on the part of Donald Trump," he said.
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