House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) is demanding answers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to reports that it is considering not charging more of the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Nadler expressed alarm at the possibility that some might not be charged, saying it was “critical that all of the perpetrators of this insurrectionist attack be identified, investigated, arrested, charged and subsequently prosecuted,” he wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson
“The Department of Justice must dedicate every available resource to its offices across the country in order to ensure that all of these individuals are held accountable,” he wrote.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Dozens of arrests have been made in connection with the Jan. 6 mob attack, and former President Trump was impeached by the House for his role in the incident.
But there have been reports that the Department of Justice might not bring charges against some participants for fear it could bury local courtrooms in cases.
Nadler said the DOJ should make it clear to lawmakers the criteria it is using to decide whether to bring criminal charges.
“As soon as possible, we respectfully request more detailed information on what process and criteria is being used in order to determine whether charges will be brought in federal court or Superior Court of the District of Columbia,” he wrote.
Nadler also noted the explicitly racist and anti-Semitic remarks and symbols that were seen at the riot, which was intended to stop Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results.
“The explicit racist and anti-Semitic tone of the attack on the Capitol is deeply disturbing. The insurrectionists peppered African American officers with racist remarks as some officers were engaged in hand-to-hand confrontations. There have been widely distributed images of individuals displaying anti-Semitic propaganda,” said Nadler, who is Jewish.
“National investigations should include an examination of whether insurrectionists targeted the officers based on actual or perceived race or national origin,” he wrote.
Federal authorities have already brought charges against hundreds of rioters as officials comb through footage of the mob to identify any participants. Among those who have been charged are members of far-right militias that have espoused bigoted views.