The Justice Department says it removed the website posts about the prosecutions on Jan. 6, describing the archived case notices as partisan and uninformative.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is admitting it removed news releases from its website about criminal cases related to January 6, 2021, riotcalling the information about the prosecutions “party propaganda”.
The purge of news reports documenting criminal charges, convictions and sentences is the latest step by the Trump administration to dramatically rewrite the history of the attack on the Capitol, when hundreds of supporters of Republican President Donald Trump stormed the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying his 2020 election loss to the Democrat.
Trump, on his first day back in office in January 2025pardoned, commuted the prison terms or pledged to dismiss the cases of all of the more than 1,500 people charged with crimes during the Capitol attack, including those convicted of attacking officers with improvised weapons such as flagpoles, hockey sticks and crutches.
on monday, The Department of Justice announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund intended to compensate Trump allies who feel they were unfairly investigated and prosecuted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out that insurgents convicted of violence would be eligible for payments, fueling bipartisan anger in Congress.
After a reporter noted on social media platform X on Friday that the Justice Department was “quietly” removing news releases on its website related to the Jan. 6 attack, including about a Texas man who pleaded guilty to assault and also faced separate state charges of solicitation of a minor, the department responded via its “quick response” account that there was “nothing quiet.”
“We are proud to reverse the weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to heal those who were persecuted for political purposes,” the post said. “This includes ridding the DOJ website of partisan propaganda.”
Among the publications removed from the site were those related to rebellious conspiratorial cases against members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right extremist groups. The Justice Department, in an unopposed motion last month, asked a federal appeals court to vacate those convictions for seditious conspiracy, a request that was granted Thursday. The department on Friday moved to drop cases against members of the group.
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
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