Merrick Garland Vows to Pursue Jan. 6 Inquiry ‘at Any Level’

Politics|Attorney General Vows to Pursue Jan. 6 Inquiry ‘at Any Level’

WASHINGTON — Under unit from Democrats and a fewer Republicans to clasp erstwhile President Donald J. Trump accountable for his relation successful inspiring the onslaught connected the Capitol, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland vowed connected Wednesday that the Justice Department would prosecute its enquiry into the riot “at immoderate level,” saying helium would support antiauthoritarian institutions from onslaught and threats of violence.

“The Justice Department remains committed to holding each Jan. 6 perpetrators, astatine immoderate level, accountable nether instrumentality — whether they were contiguous that time oregon were different criminally liable for the battle connected our democracy,” Mr. Garland said. “We volition travel the facts wherever they lead.”

The remarks came a time earlier the day of the Jan. 6 assault, erstwhile Mr. Trump’s supporters ransacked the Capitol successful a bid to halt the certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s predetermination victory. They besides came arsenic Mr. Garland faces unit from Democrats to much aggressively analyse immoderate relation that Mr. Trump and his allies whitethorn person played successful encouraging the violence.

Several of the lawyer general’s remarks appeared to respond to critics who person urged him to accidental much astir the department’s probe into what helium called “an unprecedented onslaught connected the spot of our democracy,” and to code whether investigators were scrutinizing Mr. Trump.

Mr. Garland reiterated that the section would not stock details astir its investigation. “I recognize that this whitethorn not beryllium the reply immoderate are looking for,” helium said. “But we volition and we indispensable talk done our work. Anything other jeopardizes the viability of our investigations and the civilian liberties of our citizens.”

The lawyer wide besides emphasized a committedness to the regularisation of instrumentality and to pursuing the facts wherever they lead. While the House prime committee investigating the Jan. 6 onslaught has signaled an openness to making a transgression referral to the section if it comes crossed grounds that Mr. Trump oregon others broke the instrumentality arsenic they peddled mendacious accounts of predetermination fraud, Mr. Garland did not notation Mr. Trump oregon immoderate circumstantial probe the section mightiness beryllium pursuing.

Mr. Garland has ne'er fixed immoderate substantive nationalist denotation of whether oregon however aggressively the section mightiness beryllium gathering a lawsuit against Mr. Trump oregon his advisers, and it is not wide what charges they mightiness beryllium taxable to. Some Democrats person nevertheless been openly pushing him to marque wide that helium intends to act.

Last month, erstwhile Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, said that Mr. Garland would either “rise to the juncture oregon spell down successful infamy arsenic 1 of the worst lawyer generals successful this country’s history” if helium did not clasp Mr. Trump accountable for the Jan. 6 attack.

Current and erstwhile Justice Department officials person pointed retired that the department’s Jan. 6 inquiry, among the largest investigations its history, has truthful acold resulted successful much than 700 arrests, and much than 275 radical person been charged with obstructing Congress’s work to certify the predetermination results. The F.B.I. asked the nationalist connected Wednesday for assistance successful identifying hundreds of further suspects, and the authorities estimates that arsenic galore arsenic 2,500 radical could look national charges.