Merrick Garland says Jan. 6 perpetrators 'at any level' will be held accountable

(Image credit: Carolyn Kaster/AFP via Getty Images)

published 6 January 2022

Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Wednesday that when it comes to holding those involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot accountable, "there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice."

Garland made his remarks before Justice Department employees on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the deadly Capitol attack. Prosecutors are "committed to holding all Jan. 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law," he said, before describing in detail some of the abuse suffered by law enforcement officials during the riot.

In one case, rioters crushed a police officer between two doors, causing him to foam at the mouth, and used his own weapon to hit his head. The investigation into the events of Jan. 6 is the largest in Justice Department history, and more than 700 people have been arrested in connection with the attack. The FBI is still trying to find more than 350 suspects, including 250 people accused of assaulting law enforcement officers, The Associated Press reports.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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