In this Aug. 5, 2021, file photo, Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File
- AG Merrick Garland delivered remarks marking the “solemn” anniversary of the Capitol riot.
- He vowed that the DOJ has “no higher priority” than holding those involved “accountable.”
- “All Americans are entitled to free, fair, and secure elections that ensure they can select the representatives of their choice,” he said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered remarks on Wednesday marking the “solemn” anniversary of the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
“Tomorrow will mark the first anniversary of January 6th, 2021, the day the United States Capitol was attacked while lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election,” Garland said.
“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” he added.
Garland also held a moment of silence in memory of the five law enforcement officers who “responded selflessly” to the attack and died as a result.
“I know I speak for all of us in saying that tomorrow, and in our work in the days ahead, we will not only remember them — we will do everything we can to honor them,” Garland said.
The attorney general went on to characterize the Justice Department’s investigation into the riot as “one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.”
In all, Garland said the department has:
- Issued more than 5,000 subpoenas and search warrants;
- Seized about 2,000 devices;
- Gone through more than 20,000 hours of video footage;
- Searched through about 15 terrabytes of data;
- Received more than 300,000 tips;
- Arrested and charged more than 725 defendants across nearly all 50 states and Washington, DC;
- Charged about 325 defendants with felonies.
“Every day since [the riot], we have worked to identify, investigate, and apprehend defendants from across the country. And we have done so at record speed and scale — and in the midst of a pandemic during which some grand juries and courtrooms were not able to operate,” Garland said.
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