Thursday, January 06, 2022
Sometimes prison sentences of several years
Over 700 charges after storming the US Capitol
On the anniversary of the Capitol Storm on January 6, 2021, the US Department of Justice takes stock. Hundreds of people have already been arrested, and some have been detained for several years. Minister Garland only gives an indirect answer to the question of whether action should also be taken against ex-President Trump.
The US government of President Joe Biden has announced that it will prosecute those responsible for the storming of the Capitol a year ago with the greatest of severity. The Justice Department is determined to hold those responsible to account “at all levels,” said Minister Merrick Garland, according to a manuscript that was distributed in advance. Garland was at least indirectly addressing former President Donald Trump. However, the minister did not comment explicitly on claims by some US Democrats that the judiciary should also take direct action against Trump and his followers. Biden, in turn, has warned several times against misusing the judiciary for political purposes.
When it comes to law enforcement, it makes no difference whether those responsible were there on the day of the storm on the Capitol “or are criminally responsible for the attack on our democracy in some other way,” emphasized Garland. According to the Department of Justice, 725 suspects have already been arrested and charged with the storm on the US Capitol. “We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Garland promised before the anniversary of the attack.
On January 6, 2021, radical supporters of then President Trump forcibly entered the US Congress building when Biden’s election victory was to be certified there. Trump had previously spread the false claim that he had been deprived of a second term through election fraud. On the day of the storm, he called on his supporters to march on the parliament building. The ex-president is therefore accused of being jointly responsible for the events of January 6th.
Biden gives speech on anniversary
“January 6th was an unprecedented attack on the seat of our democracy,” said Garland. The Federal Police FBI and prosecutors across the country are still dealing with the assault. According to Garland, this has become one of the “largest, most complex and most resource-binding investigations in our history” for the Justice Department. The gravity of the previous charges differed from case to case. 145 people, for example, have already pleaded guilty to an administrative offense. More than 325 other suspects were charged with criminal offenses, for example for attacks on security forces or for disrupting and attempting to disrupt an official process. The proceedings on the more serious allegations took mostly longer, he admitted. However, some people have already been sentenced to several years’ imprisonment.
Five people died in the assault on the seat of Congress. The incident caused appalling reactions worldwide and is considered a black day in the history of US democracy. Biden and his Vice-Chancellor Kamala Harris will be giving speeches in the Statue Hall of Congress on Thursday morning (3:00 p.m. CET) on the occasion of the anniversary. Speeches by the Chairwoman of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a minute’s silence and a discussion with historians about the events are also planned.
Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that Biden would name Trump’s “singular responsibility” for storming the Capitol in his speech. “President Biden has shown astuteness when it comes to the threat the former president poses to our democracy,” said Psaki. When asked if Biden would also name Trump in the speech, the spokeswoman said: “We are working on the final speech, but I think people will know who we are referring to.”