AG Merrick Garland: Capitol riot inquiry not slowed; declines to address whether Trump should be targeted
Attorney General Merrick Garland strongly indicated that the far-reaching inquiry into the deadly Capitol riot has not slowed, saying Monday that federal prosecutors and investigators continue to “follow the facts and the law where they land.”
However, in a wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker, the attorney general declined to address whether former President Donald Trump should be swept up in the probe for inciting his followers to violently challenge the certification of President Joe Biden’s election.
“We have taken action commensurate with how important this act was,” Garland said. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that perpetrators of Jan. 6 are brought to justice…I’m not able to talk about any particular individuals or particular investigations…”
The attorney general said that he was “quite aware” of divided criticism that the Department of Justice had not moved aggressively enough or too harshly against riot suspects.
“This is part of the territory for any prosecutor in any case,” he said.
Ten months after the assault, Garland said he gets weekly updates from FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on the progress of an investigation that has so far resulted in charges against more than 600 people in one of the largest inquiries in U.S. history.
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