Former Democratic senator: Biden Justice Department may investigate Jan. 6 rally speakers for incitement

Former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) said Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden’s Justice Department may investigate speakers at the Jan. 6 pro-President Trump rally for inciting the Capitol riots. 

The former Alabama senator forecasted on CNN that Biden’s Justice Department will examine what happened leading up to and during the raid on the Capitol by the president’s supporters last week. 

“I think that the Justice Department is going to take a look at this,” he said. “And it’s not just the folks that are, as I said, storming the Capitol. All of the folks that spoke at that rally the other day that seemed to incite this — they’ve got to be a little bit concerned right now.”

Jones, who was replaced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), called on the incoming Justice Department to “look carefully at what was said” by every speaker and “what they were inciting at that point.”

“Whether they face criminal charges, I don’t have an opinion on right now, but I think everything is on the table to look at,” the former senator said. 

“That’s the most important thing. I think the people of America deserve to know exactly what happened — that those who violated the law should face some kind of consequences,” he continued.

The Alabama Democrat requested investigators look at the last couple of months that led up to last week’s riot that resulted in at least five deaths, including a Capitol police officer and a rioter who was shot. He called for “accountability,” saying “there’s a hell of a lot at stake” but noted that the process should not be rushed.

“We cannot let this pass,” he said. “We gotta make sure that folks are held accountable. That’s not just the people who were coming in and shouting and destroying the Capitol building but the people that incited this.”

“They don’t need to rush this because then people will go to their partisan corners and that’s the last thing we need right now,” he added.

Fmr. Sen. Doug Jones: “The [incoming] Justice Dept. is going to take a look at this — and it’s not that just the folks that were storming the Capitol. All of the folks that spoke at that rally that seemed to incite this, they’ve got to be a little bit concerned right now.” pic.twitter.com/VPgbw6mvjb

— The Hill (@thehill) January 10, 2021

Speakers, including Trump himself, addressed a crowd of protesters last week after the president called on his supporters to rally in D.C. on the day Congress was slated to certify Biden’s election win.

In his speech, Trump encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol while reiterating his unfounded claims that the election was affected by widespread voter fraud. Shortly after, a pro-Trump mob broke into and vandalized the Capitol.