Justice Department Now Looking at Donald Trump's January 6 Actions as Part of Criminal Probe

The Justice Department is now investigating former U.S. President Donald Trump's January 6 actions as part of the department's criminal probe of the Capitol riot.

Daily Mail reported that federal prosecutors have interviewed witnesses before a grand jury and asked them about conversations between Trump, his lawyers, and his inner circle about the plan to replace Electoral College members. The plan was to replace the members with pro-Trump electors in states where U.S. President Joe Biden won, as first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump's election lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman led the scheme. Prosecutors wanted to know how involved the former president was.

Investigators also reportedly received the phone records of Trump's former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

Justice Department Criminal Probe

Justice Department investigators had received phone records of key officials and aides in the Trump administration. The department is also looking at the conduct of Eastman and Giuliani, according to The Washington Post report.

Meanwhile, a Trump spokesperson has yet to comment on the matter, while Justice Department spokesman and Meadows' lawyers have both declined to comment.

One person familiar with the matter said that investigators also want to know what the former president told his lawyers and senior officials to do.

Former Vice President Mike Pence's former chief of staff, Marc Short, and lawyer, Greg Jacob, appeared before the grand jury in downtown Washington recently. Both refused to comment on the issue.

Short and Jacob testified in front of the January 6 select committee, noting that the former vice president resisted Trump's attempts to involve him in plans to overturn the election.

The House select committee does not have any authority to prompt criminal investigations or file charges against anyone.

Recent subpoenas were issued to two Arizona state legislators being ordered to turn over communications with "any member, employee, or agent" of Trump or any organization advocating for Trump.

January 6 Probe

Rep. Liz Cheney, a fellow Republican who is vice chair of the panel, revealed during the last hearing that the case against her party's president is being made not by Trump's political rivals, but by his friends, campaign officials, and people who worked for him.

Cheney said that the people from Trump's inner circle have come forward and "told the American people the truth."

New evidence also emerged that the Capitol riot was not a spontaneous event but one that was prompted by Trump's actions, as reported by WHYY.

Trump told the crowd that he will be there with them, adding that they will walk down to the Capitol.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone tried to stop Trump from going to the Capitol as it would be seen as the president interfering with the U.S. election.

Cipollone reportedly told Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, that they will be charged with every crime "imaginable" if they push through with that movement.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: WaPo: DOJ Investigating Trump’s Actions In Jan. 6 Criminal Probe - from MSNBC