Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on Sunday that the Jan. 6 committee is "far out ahead" of Justice Department in proceedings.

Schiff, a key member of the Jan. 6 House select committee, said that the Justice Department may be able to utilize resources from the committee's investigations.

"We have been far out ahead in most respects of the Justice Department and conducting our investigation. I think they have made use of the evidence that we have presented in open hearings. I think they'll make use of the evidence that we prefer to present in our report to further their investigations," Schiff said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation."

Schiff emphasized the importance of the congressional committee, which is finalizing its investigation, in reporting on the incident.

"And I think it makes an important statement, not a political one, but a statement about the evidence of an attack on the institutions of our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power, that Congress examining an attack on itself is willing to report criminality," the congressman said.

Schiff said that the process of combining the two investigations must be handled delicately.

"What I can tell you about the process is we're looking at what is the quantum of evidence that we have against individuals. What is the impact of making a referral? Are we going to create some suggestion by referring some, that others there wasn't sufficient evidence, when we don't know, for example, what evidence is in the position of the Justice Department?" Schiff noted.

"So, if we do make referrals, we want to be very careful about how we do them. But I think we're all certainly in agreement that there is evidence of criminality here and we want to make sure that the Justice Department is aware of that."

Schiff said that the committee will release a report on referrals on Dec. 21.