Former President Donald Trump responded to the House January 6 Committee’s recommendation Tuesday to refer him to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution by rehashing everything that has happened since the 2016 election.

The committee, assembled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), concluded its inquiry with a vote recommending Trump be charged with obstructing an official proceeding, conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to make false statements to the federal government, and inciting an insurrection.

The recommendations are largely symbolic as they carry no legal weight. The Justice Department is under no obligation to act on the committee’s recommendations.

“These folks don’t get it that when they come after me, people who love freedom rally around me. It strengthens me. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” Trump said in response.  “Americans know that I pushed for 20,000 troops to prevent violence on Jan 6, and that I went on television and told everyone to go home. The people understand that the Democratic Bureau of Investigation, the DBI, are out to keep me from running for president because they know I’ll win and that this whole business of prosecuting me is just like impeachment was — a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party.”

“Think of it! The Radical Left Democrats (Communists), SPIED on my campaign, lied to the FISA COURT, lied to CONGRESS, allowed an INVASION of our COUNTRY on the Southern Border, EMBARRASSED us in Afghanistan, gave away our Energy Independence, killed us on job losing Regulations, wouldn’t use the 10,000 plus soldiers I recommended for Jan 6th,” Trump continued, as he proceeded to make false claims about the 2020 presidential election.

“And I’m the one that the Corrupt and Partisan Unselect Committee goes after,” he added. “A two tiered ‘Justice’ System … And, by the way, what ever happened with the Massive number of CRIMES committed by JOE & HUNTER BIDEN? They’re right there, documented and 100% certain. Also,where is the prosecutor from Delaware? What happened to him? Is he friends with the Ukrainian Prosecutor who didn’t prosecute after Biden held up the $BILLION PAYMENT to Ukraine? I DID NOTHING WRONG!”

Tim Pearce contributed to this report. 

Four female athletes who sued over a Connecticut transgender sports policy lost their case in federal court on Friday.

A three-judge panel on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s decision to throw out the girls’ case, which was seeking to scrap a policy that allows biological males to compete on girls’ sports teams in Connecticut.

The four track athletes, Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith, Ashley Nicoletti, and their mothers had argued in their suit that Connecticut’s high school sports authority’s policy allowing transgender students to compete on girls’ teams disadvantages female athletes and has caused them to lose out on opportunities and awards.

They had asked the court for an injunction to erase the victories of two biological male transgender athletes, who broke 17 girls’ track records and snagged 15 women’s state track championship titles.

In 2019, two transgender athletes finished ahead of Soule, causing her to miss out on qualifying for finals and the opportunity to compete before college scouts. Mitchell has missed out on the state champion title four different times because she finished behind transgender athletes.

However, the judges were not convinced.

“Like the district court, we are unpersuaded, with respect to the claim for an injunction to alter the records, that Plaintiffs have established the injury in fact and redressability requirements for standing; both fail for reasons of speculation,” the judges wrote.

The judges said that because the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which governs high school sports, “did not have adequate notice that the Policy violates Title IX — indeed, they had notice to the contrary — Plaintiffs’ claims for damages must be dismissed.”

The judges also referred to the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision ruling that the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity as well as sex.

“Thus, it cannot be said that the Policy – which prohibits discrimination based on a student’s transgender status by allowing all students to participate on gender specific teams consistent with their gender identity – ‘falls within the scope of Title IX’s proscriptions,'” the judges wrote.

The girls were represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which argued their case before the 2nd Circuit in September. The group’s attorneys said they were looking at all their options after Friday’s defeat.

“The 2nd Circuit got it wrong, and we’re evaluating all legal options, including appeal,” ADF senior counsel Christiana Kiefer said. “Our clients—like all female athletes—deserve access to fair competition. Thankfully, a growing number of states are stepping up to protect women’s athletics.”

Meanwhile the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the victory.

“The court rejected the baseless zero-sum arguments presented by the opposition to this policy and ultimately found transgender girls have as much a right to play as cisgender girls under Title IX,” said Joshua Block, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. “This critical victory strikes at the heart of political attacks against transgender youth while helping ensure every young person has the right to play.”

Women’s and girls’ sports have remained a battleground for the transgender issue across the country. At least 18 states now have legislation that aims to bar biological males from competing on girls and women’s sports teams.