The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly considering the possibility of pressing charges against an additional 200 individuals in connection with the events of January 6, 2021, at the Capitol.
This comes as the country prepares for the inauguration of Donald Trump, who is due to assume office in a fortnight.
As reported by the Daily Caller, the DOJ is contemplating the expansion of its list of defendants, which already includes over 1,500 individuals charged with various crimes related to their actions on that fateful day. Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who has been at the forefront of the prosecution of these defendants, recently announced his intention to step down from his role before Trump's inauguration.
In a statement released on Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland lauded the efforts of the DOJ team, stating, Over the past four years, our prosecutors, FBI agents, investigators, and analysts have conducted one of the most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in the Justice Departments history. He further added, They have analyzed massive amounts of physical and digital data, identified and arrested hundreds of people who took part in unlawful conduct that day, and initiated prosecutions and secured convictions across a wide range of criminal conduct.
Garland also praised the DOJ's commitment to upholding justice, saying, The public servants of the Justice Department have sought to hold accountable those criminally responsible for the January 6 attack on our democracy with unrelenting integrity.
Among those who may yet face charges, Politico reports that 60 are suspected of assaulting or impeding police officers. Trump, on the other hand, has repeatedly expressed his intention to pardon the defendants of January 6. In a conversation with NBC News on December 8, Trump criticized the system, saying, I know the system. The systems a very corrupt system. They say to a guy, Youre going to go to jail for two years or for 30 years. And these guys are looking, their whole lives have been destroyed. For two years, theyve been destroyed. But the system is a very nasty system.
In a significant development in June, the Supreme Court ruled that the DOJ had overstepped its bounds by interpreting an obstruction statute, originally designed to target financial crimes, too broadly in its prosecution of the January 6 defendants. Following this ruling, the DOJ has dropped the charge in nearly 100 pending cases.
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