The Justice Department suspended two federal prosecutors in Washington a day after they filed a document in court that accurately referred to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as a “riot” carried out by a “mob.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White were told they were being suspended just hours after they submitted a sentencing recommendation in a case against Taylor Taranto, a Washington state man who allegedly participated in President Donald Trump’s failed coup d’état who is now facing sentencing for unrelated weapons charges.
People familiar with the matter spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, which itself is a sign of how far the tyrannical president’s control over the instruments of power have spread since Trump’s return to the White House.
According to multiple news reports, the prosecutors were placed on leave and locked out of their government systems on Wednesday. The action came a day after they submitted a sentencing memo for Taylor Taranto, a January 6 defendant who was pardoned by former President Trump but faced separate firearms charges.
In the memo, Valdivia and White wrote: “On January 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol.” They used this description to provide context for Taranto’s actions, recommending a 27-month prison sentence for his subsequent crimes, which included threatening a government institute and being arrested with illegal weapons near Barack Obama’s home.
The suspensions mark a sharp break from the DOJ’s tradition of political independence and appear to be part of a broader administration effort to reframe the events of January 6. Earlier this year, the Trump administration dismissed dozens of staff who worked on January 6 cases.
Notably, the very memo that led to the suspensions was also signed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a Trump appointee, indicating the description was initially approved within the department’s chain of command.
The DOJ has declined to comment on the personnel move.
In the aftermath of his 2020 election defeat, Trump and his allies engaged in a multifaceted effort, which some scholars have labeled a “self-coup,” that culminated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The illegal attempt to remain in power ultimately failed, and Joe Biden was inaugurated two weeks later.
Key aspects of the effort to overturn the election:
- Legal Challenges: Following the election, Trump and his campaign filed dozens of lawsuits in multiple states, alleging widespread voter fraud. These claims were repeatedly dismissed by courts, including judges appointed by Republicans.
- Pressure on state officials: In a now-infamous phone call on January 2, 2021, Trump pressured Georgia’s top election official to “find” enough votes to change the state’s results. Similar pressure was applied to officials in other states.
- Pressure on the Justice Department: Trump and his allies urged top officials in the Justice Department to help them overturn the election. When the acting attorney general refused, Trump considered firing him.
- Pressure on Vice President Mike Pence: Trump mounted a public and private campaign to pressure Vice President Pence into unilaterally rejecting or sending back electoral votes from states Biden had won. Pence resisted, stating he did not have the constitutional authority to do so.
On January 6, 2021, Trump held a rally near the White House, where he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol. He told the crowd, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” and said he would march with them.
Thousands of supporters subsequently marched to and stormed the U.S. Capitol while Congress was in the process of certifying the electoral college results. The insurrection led to deaths, injuries to police officers, and damage to the Capitol.
The effort to reverse the election results ultimately failed.
After Biden’s inauguration, a House January 6 Committee was convened, Trump was subjected to a second impeachment, and criminal charges were filed in Georgia and in federal court but these ultimately resulted in no significant legal or political repercussions.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump a second time for his role in inciting the January 6 attack., but he was acquitted by the Senate.
A congressional committee investigated the attack and concluded that Trump engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the election, but the Republican never got to trial after a federal special counsel brought charges against Trump related to his efforts to overturn the election, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, and state charges in Georgia related to his attempt to pressure officials there.