The Department of Justice has acknowledged removing news releases about criminal cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot from its website, labeling the information about the prosecutions as 'partisan propaganda.'
Purge of Jan. 6 Case Information
The purge of news releases documenting criminal charges, convictions, and sentencings is the latest step by the Trump administration to dramatically rewrite the history of the assault on the Capitol. On that day, hundreds of supporters of Republican President Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to halt the congressional certification of his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump, on his first day back in office in January 2025, pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes during the Capitol assault, including those convicted of attacking officers with makeshift weapons such as flagpoles, a hockey stick, and a crutch.
Creation of Compensation Fund
On Monday, the Justice Department announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund meant to compensate Trump allies who feel they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out that rioters convicted of violence will be eligible for payouts, prompting bipartisan anger in Congress.
After a journalist on Friday observed on the social media platform X that the Justice Department was 'quietly' removing news releases on its website that were related to the Jan. 6 attack, including about a Texas man who pleaded guilty to assault and also faced separate state charges of soliciting a minor, the department responded through its 'rapid response' account that there was 'nothing quiet about it.'
'We are proud to reverse the DOJ's weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes,' the post said. 'This includes stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda.'
Removal of Seditious Conspiracy Cases
Among the releases removed from the site were those concerning seditious conspiracy 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 seditious conspiracy convictions, a request that was granted Thursday. The department on Friday moved to dismiss the cases against the group members.
