Former Capitol riot prosecutor says Trump could be culpable for his role

The former top prosecutor for the US Capitol riot said former President Donald Trump might be "culpable" for the January 6 insurrection and federal investigators are "looking at everything".

According to The Hill, Michael Sherwin told CBS News's "60 Minutes" in an interview that aired on Sunday that it was "unequivocal" that the former President was "the magnet that brought the people to DC on the (January) 6th" before his supporters stormed the Capitol building.

"Now the question is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege, during the breach?" Sherwin said during the interview when asked if Trump's role has been part of the probe.

"We have plenty of people - we have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying 'Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house... That moves the needle towards that direction. Maybe the president is culpable for these actions,'" he added

The federal prosecutor stated that two militia members have said in the public record, "'You know what? We did this because Trump just talks a big game. He's just all talk. We did what he wouldn't do.'"

When asked about whether he had investigators looking into Trump's involvement in the insurrection, the prosecutor said: "We have people looking at everything, correct... Everything's being looked at."

Sherwin led the Justice Department's investigation into the deadly January riot, and more than 400 defendants have been charged for their alleged involvement in the breach.

Trump has faced accusations, particularly from Democratic lawmakers, that his call to supporters to rally in Washington and march to the Capitol on the day Congress was scheduled to confirm the Electoral College vote sparked the violence.

He was impeached for a second time a week before his presidency ended over the insurrection but was acquitted by the Senate. Ten House Republicans voted in favour of impeachment, and seven Senate Republicans voted to convict him.

( With inputs from ANI )