The investigation into the Capitol Riot on January 6 has become the biggest federal investigation in history.
With about 650 people from all 50 states currently facing federal charges for the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, FBI agents are working tirelessly to produce results. They have been sorting through roughly 250,000 internet tips, thousands of hours of bodycam footage, and hundreds of arrests and warrants. Only about 15% of defendants have pleaded guilty so far, but the number is expected to rise.
Former Virginia governor and serious critic of the insurrection, Terry McAuliffe, told MSNBC in an interview, “People have fought and died to protect the right to democracy and these thugs go here on Jan. 6 and destroy? People died. Law enforcement died. And they were pledging allegiance to a flag they wanted to use up there to destroy our democracy.”
Once the tragic event concluded, over 140 police officers were injured, and a total of five people were killed. One police officer was critically injured and later passed away, and the other four were rioters. Unfortunately, since the insurrection in January, four more police officers who were involved have died of suicide.
These events have also led to a showdown between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden over executive privilege. Trump and his attorneys requested to withhold multiple documents relating to January 6, 2021, which was later rejected by the Biden Administration.
According to NBC News, “White House Counsel Dana Remus rejected an attempt by Trump’s attorneys to withhold documents requested by the House Select Committee regarding the then-president’s activities on Jan. 6, writing that ‘President Biden has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the best interests of the United States, and therefore is not justified as to any of the documents.’”
White House officials were not able to describe the documents included in the request, or which ones Trump should be able to keep confidential, but Biden made it clear that executive privilege will not pertain to any of them. This has led to a back and forth between former President Trump and President Biden over additional documents.
As investigations continue, the arrest number continues to rise. The FBI has warned police departments to “exercise caution and consider use of SWAT when affecting the arrest of individuals who displayed body armor or other armament during criminal activity conducted at the US Capitol.”
Anyone with any tips is still encouraged to contact the police, especially if they know or are related to anyone who attended the insurrection. The FBI continues to sort through the endless amount of information like anonymous tips and posts on Parler, a right-wing social media platform. Updates will continue to be released as the FBI carries on the investigation, and arrests will only continue to climb.
