Mike Sherwin, the acting US attorney in DC, revealed during a news conference Thursday that the investigation into the Capitol breach will likely continue through the end of 2021.
According to reporters, Sherwin stated that the pro-Trump protesters "will be held accountable for what was done, both on the Capitol grounds and what happened within the Capitol."
When asked whether the protesters would be charged with rioting or insurrection, Sherwin responded: "All of those charges are on the table," adding that prosecutors expect to file at least 15 federal criminal cases related to the Capitol breach.
The US has charged 55 people with crimes linked to the siege of the Capitol, including a man who was arrested with a semi-automatic rifle and 11 Molotov cocktails near the building, Bloomberg reported.
Other cases include charges related to unlawful entry and assault. One of the rioters charged was Mark Leffingwell, who has been accused of attacking an officer at the scene.
Leffingwell “attempted to push past me and other officers,” Capitol Police Officer Daniel Amendola said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg. “When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist. I was struck in the helmet that I was wearing and in the chest," Amendola added.
Pro-Trump protesters on Wednesday stormed the Capitol to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results.
“Yesterday, our nation watched in disbelief as a mob breached the Capitol building and required federal and local law enforcement to help restore order,” Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said on Thursday, Bloomberg reported. “The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions under the law.”
Congress was scheduled Wednesday to confirm Biden’s victory under the Electoral Count Act of 1887. In December, the Electoral College established Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, giving him a majority of 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. Congress eventually certified Biden's win in the early hours of Thursday morning.
