DOJ Weighs Charges for 200 More in Capitol Attack as Trump’s Return Looms

A new report reveals ongoing investigations into January 6 riot participants, highlighting potential felony charges amid Trump’s pardon promises.

AP/Jose Luis Magana
Rioters on the West Front of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. AP/Jose Luis Magana

The Department of Justice said on Monday that they are still mulling over charges for 200 more people alleged to have been involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

In the latest monthly report, officials have revealed for the first time how many cases related to January 6 are believed to be pending for prosecutors as President-elect Trump gets ready to head back to the White House.

“The FBI continues to receive tips about individuals who committed crimes at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and who have not yet been charged,” reads a section of the DOJ report. “Our Office is evaluating close to 200 cases that have been presented to us by the FBI, including over 60 cases that involve assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder, both of which are felony offenses.”

Prosecutors indicated in the report that they have also shown restraint in charging defendants, mainly opting to drop charges against people on the grounds but did not enter the Capitol Building.

“Because of this exercise of prosecutorial discretion, the typical charged January 6 rioter committed multiple federal crimes,” they said.

Nearly 1,600 people have faced federal charges in the four years since the attack on the Capitol, including over 600 who faced felony charges for assaulting or resisting police at the scene.

Another 180 have faced weapons charges, and another 153 were charged with destruction of government property.

President Trump pledged on the campaign trail that he would pardon all those charged in relation to January 6. According to a recent report from Politico, his pledge has been rooted in claims about unsafe conditions for those being held in the Washington, D.C. jail. The Justice Department has said that only 10 defendants, eight of whom are awaiting trial, remain at the facility.


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