Prosecutors ‘to focus on worst Capitol rioters’ before Trump takes office
An effort is said to have been launched to prosecute the worst cases of violence from the US Capitol riots before President-elect Trump takes the reins of power again in two months.
A plan is in place to arrest and convict the “most egregious” January 6 rioters still to face justice before Donald Trump retakes power, according to a law enforcement official.
Mr Trump is expect to halt an investigation into the incident and previously said he would “absolutely” pardon some – if not all – of the rioters if he regained the White House.
The 2021 storming of the Capitol building happened when Trump supporters gathered in Washington DC to try to stop President Biden’s election win being certified.
More than 1,100 people have already been convicted over the riot – in which five people died and dozens of police were attacked and injured.
Mr Trump’s speech on that day, in which he told them “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore”, has been accused of inciting the violence.
His lawyers said he was speaking figuratively, but he has also been accused of not intervening as the disorder unfolded.
The January 6 incident forms part of one of his outstanding criminal cases.
Following Mr Trump’s election win, prosecutors in the Capitol siege section of the justice department have received guidance to expedite cases for the “most egregious” offenders, an official told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Their instructions include opposing any request by a defendant for a delay.
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For new arrests, they have been told to hone in on “the most egregious conduct and cases until the end of the administration” on 20 January.
Felony assault cases are likely to be prioritised over people who entered the Capitol but did not attack law enforcement, according to the official, who spoke to NBC anonymously.
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Members of the public – so-called “sedition hunters” – have trawled the internet since the riot to help identify offenders.
One told NBC News: “We didn’t spend the last four years tracking these criminals down just to have dozens of them avoid prosecution because half of the country are f****** morons. Our work continues, as should the DOJ’s.”
It comes as Mr Trump’s powerful election victory was capped off on Sunday when US networks said he had also won the final outstanding swing state of Arizona.
