Garland says Capitol riot investigation is ‘most urgent’ in DOJ’s history

Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riot is the “most urgent” in DOJ history, more than a year after the U.S. Capitol Building was stormed on Jan. 6, 2021.

The claim by President Joe Biden's chief law enforcement officer comes as Republicans have said the Biden DOJ has not put the same effort into prosecutions tied to the violent riots of 2020 as the storming of the Capitol and have criticized the department for its decision to shutter the China Initiative despite a growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

"This is the most urgent investigation in the history of the Justice Department. It is the most resource-intensive. We have thrown 70 prosecutors from the District of Columbia and another 70 around the country,” Garland said of the Capitol riot in an NPR interview on Thursday. “Every FBI office, almost every U.S. attorney's office in the country is working on this matter. We've issued thousands of subpoenas, seized and examined thousands of electronic devices, examined terabytes of data, thousands of hours of videos. People are working every day, 24/7, and are fully aware of how important this is.”

Garland added: “This had to do with the interference with the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another. And it doesn't get more important than that."

The attorney general's claim that the Capitol riot inquiry is the most urgent in DOJ history is notable. The Justice Department was established in 1870 to enforce the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War. It famously sought to stop Nazi saboteurs during World War Two, established a Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, enforces civil rights laws, and is tasked with stopping cartels and other criminal organizations.

The DOJ and FBI were deeply involved in investigating the 9/11 attacks and are responsible for preventing and prosecuting terrorist attacks. The department deals with foreign espionage cases, prosecutes assassination efforts, and goes after violent crime. John Durham’s special counsel criminal investigation is scrutinizing the origins and conduct of the Trump-Russia investigation.

FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed in January that the FBI is working just as hard to punish participants in the 2020 riots as those involved in the Capitol riot.

Garland said in January “there is no higher priority” at DOJ than prosecuting the Capitol riot cases. He compared the deadly Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 to the Capitol riot in June. The attorney general indicated in May the DOJ was prioritizing prosecutions related to the...

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