(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – Delivering remarks on the eve of the First Anniversary of the Capitol Riots, Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that the Department of Justice had “no higher priority” than ensuring those who participated in the Capitol riots were held accountable.
Addressing the riots, Garland mentioned that rioters had interfered “with a fundamental element of American democracy –– the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next,” before announcing the arrests of “more than 725 defendants in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia” for their involvement in Capitol riot. The Attorney General also revealed that the department had charged more than 325 people with felonies, of which 20 had pleaded guilty.
In his speech, Garland went on to emphasize that there couldn’t be different rules based on political affiliation, power, or for those deemed “friends or foes.” However, his statements garnered the attention of some critics who pointed out Garland failed to discuss the violence Antifa had perpetrated in which rioters of the left-wing group attacked law enforcement officers and federal government buildings before attempting to establish activist-occupied zones in Washington and Oregon.
Discussing the DOJ’s stance on different rules, Garland stated that after the Watergate Scandal, the Justice Department resolved that “the best way to ensure the department’s independence, integrity, and fair application of our laws, and the best way to ensure the health of our democracy is to have a set of norms to govern our work.”
Addressing what he called an “unprecedented attack on the seat of our democracy,” Garland reassured the public that –– as is the case with any ongoing investigation –– the DOJ would do “whatever it takes” and “as long as it takes” for justice, consistent with law and fact, to be done.
Referring to the investigation’s length, the Attorney General mentioned that given the magnitude and circumstances surrounding January 6th, “a full accounting does not suddenly materialize,” before saying that the DOJ would ensure that everyone who was criminally responsible would be held accountable.
Copyright 2022
