Attorney General Merrick Garland will reportedly deliver a speech Wednesday about the Department of Justice’s efforts in prosecuting several public figures allegedly involved in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, a Justice Department official told The Washington Post.
The speech will stress the department’s “unwavering commitment to defend Americans and American democracy from violence and threats of violence.”
“On Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Garland will update department employees and the American people on [the] Justice Department’s efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol one year ago,” the DOJ said in a statement provided to The Hill.
“Under the continued leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale. The Department of Justice’s resolve to hold accountable those who committed crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, has not, and will not, wane.”
The DOJ announced Dec. 30 that more than 725 people had been arrested so far in connection to the Capitol riot. Around 145 people have pleaded guilty to federal charges, with 20 pleading guilty to felonies.
A review of court records by the Post last year found the vast majority of those federally charged were not part of far-right extremist groups or involved in a deliberate conspiracy.
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Trump are also expected to give speeches Thursday, the event’s first anniversary.
