Minister of Justice Merrick Garland, in his speech before the anniversary of the January 6 Congress attack, commemorated the police officers who lost their lives in the events. Garland said, “Those involved in the events must be held accountable, the Ministry of Justice has no higher priority.”
Stating that the Ministry of Justice launched the largest, most complex and resource-intensive investigation in the country’s history in a short time after the attack, Garland said that so far, 5,000 subpoenas and search warrants have been issued, 2,000 electronic devices have been seized, 20,000 hours of video footage have been reviewed, and 15 recorded terabit data being scanned.
Noting that they received more than 300,000 notices from ordinary citizens, Garland said, “Citizens have become our indispensable partners in these efforts.”
The Minister stated that as of today, there are 725 defendants detained and charged from 50 states and the capital, Washington.
There were questions about how long the investigation would take, Garland said. “As long as it’s necessary,” and he said, “We will do whatever it takes to get justice – consistent with the law.”
On January 6, 2021, after Donald Trump’s rally near the White House, his supporters marched into Congress and forcibly entered the Capitol building, bypassing the police barrier, to block the Congressional session in which the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden was confirmed.
In the USA, four people died on the day of the congress raid, and a police officer died the next day. Dozens of police officers were injured in the hour-long raid by Trump supporters, and four police officers committed suicide after the events.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki stated that President Joe Biden, in his speech on the anniversary of the raid, will say that his predecessor, Donald Trump, is solely responsible for the attacks.
The violence led to Trump’s second impeachment and the multiple investigations Garland mentioned.