DOJ Prosecutors On Leave For Calling Capitol Rioters ‘Rioters’
DOJ Places Prosecutors On Leave For Calling Capitol Rioters ‘Rioters’
The speed at which the Department of Justice (DOJ) has become deeply unserious would be impressive if it weren’t deeply unsettling. Any pretense that the DOJ operates independently of the executive branch has been completely eradicated as the department has spent much of this year prosecuting President Donald Trump’s political rivals and clearing house of anyone who doesn’t fall in line with the president’s ideology.
On Wednesday, the DOJ informed two federal prosecutors they were being put on leave after filing a legal brief describing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as being carried out by “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters.”
So I guess calling a thing a thing is a punishable offense at the DOJ now.
ABC News reports that federal prosecutors Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White were informed about their leave only hours after filing a sentencing memorandum in the case of Taylor Taranto. While Taranto was one of the thousands pardoned by Trump for their role in the Capitol riot, he was convicted on separate firearms and threat charges after being arrested near former President Barack Obama’s house in June 2023. At the time of his arrest, Taranto had two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammo, and a machete. Only day before his arrest, Taranto threatened to drive a car bomb into the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
But according to the Trump administration, political violence is exclusively a left-wing problem.
In their memo, Valdivia and White only briefly mentioned Taranto’s role in the Capitol riot. “On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election,” the memorandum read. “Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building. After the riot, Taranto returned to his home in the State of Washington, where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of Jan. 6, 2021.”
Valdivia and White are currently part of the thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed as a result of the ongoing government shutdown. The DOJ informed them that when the shutdown ends, they will be placed on administrative leave. Taranto is set to be sentenced on Thursday, though it’s unclear if Valdivia and White’s suspensions will result in the DOJ changing its sentencing recommendation from 27 months.
I wish I could muster some degree of shock or outrage, but I can’t. Not because I think this is fine, but simply because every day it feels like the Trump administration manages to reach a new level of cruelty and outright stupidity.
And trust me, the DOJ has achieved a frightening level of stupidity in its current state. President Trump has publicly given Attorney General Pam Bondi a list of names to prosecute. Their crime? Being mean to the president.
Earlier this month, the DOJ indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges after President Trump publicly mounted a pressure campaign. Last week, James pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, and it’s increasingly looking like the DOJ doesn’t have significant evidence to prove that James intentionally defrauded banks when applying for a mortgage on a second home. After a five-month investigation, the DOJ knew it didn’t have a solid case against James and filed the charges anyway.
If that doesn’t paint a portrait of how idiotic the DOJ has become under Pam Bondi’s leadership, I don’t know what does.
SEE ALSO:
The Racist Legacy Of The Capitol Riots
Pardoned Capitol Rioter Allegedly Threatened To Kill Hakeem Jeffries
DOJ Places Prosecutors On Leave For Calling Capitol Rioters ‘Rioters’ was originally published on newsone.com
