No official word on three Capitol riot deaths of a ‘medical’ nature.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI are scouring photos and videos of Wednesday ’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, looking for evidence of a long list of crimes to charge those who engaged in wanton acts of violence on federal property.
Seditious conspiracy. Damage to federal property. Use of explosives. Crossing state lines to commit crimes. Those are just some of the unlawful acts listed in a September memo by then-deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen — now the acting attorney general — urging prosecutors to consider tough federal charges for those engaged in violent unrest.
Now, however, amid disturbing scenes of a mob smashing their way into a joint session of Congress to disrupt a ceremonial but essential part of the installation of the next president, law enforcement officials say Rosen’s memo is a blueprint for pursuing federal cases against Wednesday ’s rioters.
“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our Government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions under the law,” Rosen said in a statement Thursday. “Some participants in yesterday ’s violence will be charged today, and we will continue to methodically assess evidence, charge crimes and make arrests in the coming days and weeks to ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law.”
The potential charges include seditious conspiracy, a rarely used criminal statute that bars the use of force “to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof.”
The charge carries a maximum possible prison sentence of 20 years.
Other lesser charges like unlawful entry are also likely, and may be easier to prove, given the voluminous social media postings of rioters storming into lawmakers’ offices, taking material and smashing things.
Federal law explicitly makes it a crime to damage federal property, engage in civil disorder, or cross state lines in a conspiracy to commit certain crimes of violence.