AG Garland Assures American Public DOJ Will Hold All Perpetrators at Any Level Accountable for Capitol Insurrection

In brief, Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke for nearly a half hour to assure the American public that the Department of Justice is committed to holding all perpetrators at any level accountable for the violent Capitol insurrection one year ago. The DOJ investigation, he said, will follow the facts no matter where they lead. They’ve been busy identifying, locating, and apprehending those involved.

Garland ticked off a number of accomplishments the nation-wide investigation has accomplished to date:

• 725 defendants involved in the siege have been arrested and charged;
• 145 defendants have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in the early months of the investigation;
• 325 defendants have been charged with felonies, assaulting police officers or disrupting congressional procedures;
• 20 of those have plead guilty;
• 40 have been charged with conspiracy to disrupt Congressional procedures;
• 5,000+ search warrants and subpoenas have been issued;
• During the investigation, the FBI received over 300,000 tips from citizens;
• they reviewed 20,000+ hours of video footage;
• reviewed 15 TB of data.

Garland made the point that often the lesser charges are filed first, as prosecutors go after the small fish first, then work themselves up the chain.

He asked the American people for patience and assured us that they’re working diligently, following the facts and the Constitution. He stressed continually that the DOJ is committed to protecting American democracy, voting rights and the independence of the Justice Department. Garland also condemned violent attacks and threats against people who serve the public, from airlines personnel, teachers, journalists, political representatives, judges, and elections staff.

Garland was responding to questions and criticisms about the Department’s pace in holding people accountable and in getting those who plotted and planned the attack. He basically stated, ‘we’re working on it, have patience, and there’s a lot to come.’

At the beginning of his speech, Garland reminded us that 140 police officers were attacked and assaulted during the riot. Five officers “lost their lives.”