US prosecutors suspended after calling Capitol attack defendants ‘mob of rioters’: Sources
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US President Donald Trump and his allies have sought to play down the Jan 6 violence at the US Capitol, decrying the prosecutions as a “national injustice”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The US Justice Department placed two prosecutors on leave on Oct 29, hours after they referred to Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021,
Assistant US Attorneys Samuel White and Carlos Valdivia were placed on administrative leave and locked out of their government devices one day before their scheduled appearance in federal court on Oct 30 for Taylor Taranto’s sentencing.
Taranto was convicted on gun charges after driving to former president Barack Obama’s Washington neighbourhood in June 2023, shortly after then former president Donald Trump posted what he asserted was Mr Obama’s address online.
ABC News first reported the moves.
Taranto had previously been charged for his role in the 2021 assault on the Capitol and was pardoned in January
Mr Trump and his allies have sought to play down the Jan 6 violence, decrying the prosecutions as a “national injustice”.
Mr White and Mr Valdivia had asked US District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, DC to impose a sentence of 27 months for Taranto.
They were not provided an official reason for their removal, which was carried out by the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, three of the people said. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. Reuters could not immediately reach the two attorneys for comment.
The decision to place them on leave marks the latest in a string of personnel actions targeting Justice Department employees who worked on criminal or civil cases disfavoured by Mr Trump and his supporters. More than 200 prosecutors, agents and other personnel have been fired, some of whom worked on two criminal cases against Mr Trump or on cases related to the attack on the Capitol.
Taranto was convicted on gun charges after having “perpetrated a hoax” on June 28, 2023, in which he falsely claimed he would cause a car bomb to drive into the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The next day, after Mr Trump posted Mr Obama’s purported address on social media, Taranto reposted it and began live-streaming himself as he drove into Mr Obama’s neighbourhood in Washington, DC. In the video, he said he was searching for “tunnels” to access private residences. Eventually, he parked and walked into a restricted area protected by the US Secret Service, where he stated: “Gotta get the shot, stop at nothing to get the shot.”
In a search of his van, law enforcement officers found two firearms, a stabilising brace and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Mr Jonathan Hornok, who was previously hand-picked by former interim US attorney Ed Martin to serve as the office’s criminal chief, has since made an appearance in the case alongside a second prosecutor, according to court filings. REUTERS
