"We have used our prosecutorial discretion to primarily focus on those who entered the building or those who engaged in violent or corrupt conduct on Capitol grounds," the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said in the Jan. 4 hourlong on-camera briefing with reporters that came after three years since the incident and lasted for about an hour. He suggested that others who went on the Capitol grounds themselves could also be prosecuted.
Navy intel veteran and Senior Editor of Human Events Jack Posobiec shared the Post Millenial X post and captioned: "He’s talking about the public lawn of the Capitol. This is how insane these people are."
US District Attorney Matthew Graves suggests prosecutors will begin to target Americans who did not enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, but were standing outside of it. pic.twitter.com/673qqgEFZs
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 6, 2024
The federal prosecutor, who is currently overseeing more than 1,200 cases connected to the J6 Capitol protest, also urged Americans during the said press conference to continue helping investigators identify roughly 80 individuals believed to have assaulted police during the "riot." "The siege of the Capitol is likely the largest single day of mass assault of law enforcement officers in our nation's history," Graves claimed. He never mentioned the name of former President Donald Trump but said the violence on Jan. 6 was a direct result of claims that the election was stolen. "We will never know all the weapons that were on the Capitol grounds because very few in the mob were actually arrested on Jan. 6," he added.
His presentation during the briefing focused on some of the Department of Justice's largest successes in 2023, including the successful convictions of four Proud Boys leaders on seditious conspiracy charges and lengthy sentences handed down to both Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. In September, former Proud Boys National Chairman Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for helming a plot to incite violence at the Capitol. In May, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes received 18 years in prison for conspiring with other members of his militia to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power. (Related: Biden-appointed US attorney who dropped charges on Colbert’s crew is also prosecutor investigating January 6.)
Graves claims more J6 police officers were likely injured than reported
According to Graves, 140 officers at the Capitol that day reported physical injury. "But we know from talking to the hundreds of officers guarding the Capitol that day that this 140-number undercounts the physically injured officers, let alone those who have suffered trauma as a result of the day's events," he claimed, adding that many law enforcement officers who were injured in the attack have left their positions because they are physically unable to serve as police officers.
He also detailed the historic DOJ criminal investigation into those who participated, lauding the department's efforts to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes the very same day. He said the public has helped identify scores of people who were at the Capitol the day of the attack, but "the public's help is still needed." The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is still looking for more than 80 people who are still wanted and need to be identified for their acts of violence on that day, Graves said. The FBI is releasing a list of individuals most wanted.
The attorney also reported that nearly 900 people have been convicted of crimes committed on Jan. 6. Of the convictions, 149 people have been convicted of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, 41 of which have been convicted of using a deadly or dangerous weapon for causing bodily injury to an officer, he said. He also declared the types of weapons that the rioters brought, including guns, tasers, flag poles, knives, baseball bats and others.
He further discussed that the statute of limitations for crimes committed on Jan. 6 runs out on Jan. 5, 2026. The DOJ's work in prosecuting Jan. 6 is "not to win at all costs, but to do justice for all, he stated. "What the events of Jan. 6, 2021, reveal is that our democracy is fragile. The fact that we have existed with peaceful transitions of power for over 200 years is not a guarantee of our future. Nothing is assured," Graves warned.
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