https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/12/us/capitol-riot-trump
Prosecutors are weighing sedition and conspiracy charges and expect to arrest ‘hundreds’ tied to Capitol riot.
Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the federal investigation was unprecedented in its scope.Credit...Pool photo by Sarah Silbiger
The top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., said on Tuesday that more than 70 people tied to the Capitol riot had been charged with crimes and that he expected that number to rise into the hundreds, with prosecutors looking at charging some rioters with sedition and conspiracy.
Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a news conference that the federal investigation was unprecedented in its scope, with the entire Capitol grounds being “essentially, a crime scene.” He cautioned that the investigations would take months or longer.
Mr. Sherwin said investigators had identified at least 170 people who they believe committed a wide range of crimes on the Capitol grounds, with prosecutors looking at charges ranging from trespassing to felony murder. At least four people died during the riots — some of medical emergencies — and a fifth, Brian D. Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died the next day from injuries he sustained during the mayhem.
“We’re looking at significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy,” Mr. Sherwin said, adding that he had assembled a team of national security and public corruption prosecutors specifically to pursue sedition charges against people who had committed “the most heinous acts” on the Capitol grounds last week.
Steven D’Antuono, the head of the F.B.I.’s Washington Field Office, defended the agency at the news conference after reports that F.B.I. officials in Virginia had warned about a threat of violence the day before the riots. The Washington Post had reported that the warning had mentioned people sharing a map of tunnels and an online thread in which people said people should be “ready for war.”
Mr. D’Antuono indicated that the information had quickly been shared with other law enforcement agencies and he said other intelligence had led the authorities to disrupt the travel of several people who had planned to attend the rally. He also noted that Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys group known for brawling at protests, had been arrested shortly after arriving in Washington for the event.
The F.B.I. is working around the clock on the investigation, and the agency has already received 100,000 pieces of digital media, Mr. D’Antuono said. He added that agents would identify and pursue anyone who had committed a crime at the Capitol that day, even if they had left Washington.
“Agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door,” he said.
In addition to pursuing possible charges of seditious conspiracy, which is defined as an effort by two or more people to overthrow the government or use force to hinder its operations, investigators are also prioritizing investigations into attacks against police officers, theft of confidential information from the Capitol and attacks against reporters.
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs
F.B.I. report is said to have warned of plans for violence at the Capitol.
Supporters of the president marched down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol on Wednesday.Credit...Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
F.B.I. officials in Virginia wrote a stark warning the day before a mob attacked the Capitol last week, raising alarms about the threat of violence, according to a law enforcement official.
The report was produced Jan. 5 by the F.B.I.’s Norfolk office in southern Virginia and sent to the bureau’s Washington Field Office, where it was passed on to other law enforcement agencies, the official said. It was not clear which agencies received it.
The report mentioned people sharing a map of tunnels at the Capitol complex and possible meet-up points in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and South Carolina before traveling to Washington, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the F.B.I. document.
“Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest,” the document said, according to The Post. “Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.”
Officials cautioned the information in the Norfolk report was uncorroborated and the portion that quoted “war” appeared to come from a single online thread.
Nonetheless, the report is likely to put the F.B.I. on the defensive with members of Congress and the public demanding answers about why the bureau and other federal agencies were not more prepared for the protests and mob attack, where at least five people died during the violence and in its immediate aftermath.
Supporters of President Trump had descended on Washington to protest Congress’s ceremonial certification of the Electoral College after weeks of his baseless claims of election irregularities.
Last week, Steven D’Antuono, the head of the F.B.I.’s Washington Field Office, told reporters there was no indication that the day’s events would spiral out of control. He said the F.B.I. saw nothing ahead of time beyond First Amendment-protected activities, which can include protests and even hate speech.
He said the F.B.I. had worked closely with its partners before the Trump supporters, who had come to the Capitol to protest the election results, turned violent.
Since the mob attacked the Capitol, the F.B.I. appears to have taken a more aggressive approach to releasing information to other law enforcement agencies. On Sunday, the F.B.I. warned local law enforcement partners that armed protests were being planned in all 50 state houses and the U.S. Capitol. The warning also included information about an unidentified group calling for others to join them in “storming” state, local and federal courthouses if Mr. Trump was removed as president before Inauguration Day.
Prosecutors are weighing sedition and conspiracy charges and expect to arrest ‘hundreds’ tied to Capitol riot.
Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the federal investigation was unprecedented in its scope.Credit...Pool photo by Sarah Silbiger
The top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., said on Tuesday that more than 70 people tied to the Capitol riot had been charged with crimes and that he expected that number to rise into the hundreds, with prosecutors looking at charging some rioters with sedition and conspiracy.
Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a news conference that the federal investigation was unprecedented in its scope, with the entire Capitol grounds being “essentially, a crime scene.” He cautioned that the investigations would take months or longer.
Mr. Sherwin said investigators had identified at least 170 people who they believe committed a wide range of crimes on the Capitol grounds, with prosecutors looking at charges ranging from trespassing to felony murder. At least four people died during the riots — some of medical emergencies — and a fifth, Brian D. Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died the next day from injuries he sustained during the mayhem.
“We’re looking at significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy,” Mr. Sherwin said, adding that he had assembled a team of national security and public corruption prosecutors specifically to pursue sedition charges against people who had committed “the most heinous acts” on the Capitol grounds last week.
Steven D’Antuono, the head of the F.B.I.’s Washington Field Office, defended the agency at the news conference after reports that F.B.I. officials in Virginia had warned about a threat of violence the day before the riots. The Washington Post had reported that the warning had mentioned people sharing a map of tunnels and an online thread in which people said people should be “ready for war.”
Mr. D’Antuono indicated that the information had quickly been shared with other law enforcement agencies and he said other intelligence had led the authorities to disrupt the travel of several people who had planned to attend the rally. He also noted that Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys group known for brawling at protests, had been arrested shortly after arriving in Washington for the event.
The F.B.I. is working around the clock on the investigation, and the agency has already received 100,000 pieces of digital media, Mr. D’Antuono said. He added that agents would identify and pursue anyone who had committed a crime at the Capitol that day, even if they had left Washington.
“Agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door,” he said.
In addition to pursuing possible charges of seditious conspiracy, which is defined as an effort by two or more people to overthrow the government or use force to hinder its operations, investigators are also prioritizing investigations into attacks against police officers, theft of confidential information from the Capitol and attacks against reporters.
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs
F.B.I. report is said to have warned of plans for violence at the Capitol.
Supporters of the president marched down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol on Wednesday.Credit...Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
F.B.I. officials in Virginia wrote a stark warning the day before a mob attacked the Capitol last week, raising alarms about the threat of violence, according to a law enforcement official.
The report was produced Jan. 5 by the F.B.I.’s Norfolk office in southern Virginia and sent to the bureau’s Washington Field Office, where it was passed on to other law enforcement agencies, the official said. It was not clear which agencies received it.
The report mentioned people sharing a map of tunnels at the Capitol complex and possible meet-up points in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and South Carolina before traveling to Washington, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the F.B.I. document.
“Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest,” the document said, according to The Post. “Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.”
Officials cautioned the information in the Norfolk report was uncorroborated and the portion that quoted “war” appeared to come from a single online thread.
Nonetheless, the report is likely to put the F.B.I. on the defensive with members of Congress and the public demanding answers about why the bureau and other federal agencies were not more prepared for the protests and mob attack, where at least five people died during the violence and in its immediate aftermath.
Supporters of President Trump had descended on Washington to protest Congress’s ceremonial certification of the Electoral College after weeks of his baseless claims of election irregularities.
Last week, Steven D’Antuono, the head of the F.B.I.’s Washington Field Office, told reporters there was no indication that the day’s events would spiral out of control. He said the F.B.I. saw nothing ahead of time beyond First Amendment-protected activities, which can include protests and even hate speech.
He said the F.B.I. had worked closely with its partners before the Trump supporters, who had come to the Capitol to protest the election results, turned violent.
Since the mob attacked the Capitol, the F.B.I. appears to have taken a more aggressive approach to releasing information to other law enforcement agencies. On Sunday, the F.B.I. warned local law enforcement partners that armed protests were being planned in all 50 state houses and the U.S. Capitol. The warning also included information about an unidentified group calling for others to join them in “storming” state, local and federal courthouses if Mr. Trump was removed as president before Inauguration Day.
