Records of charges against US Capitol rioters removed
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• Thousands of Trump supporters stormed building in 2021 during certification of Biden’s victory
• Over 1,500 people were charged after riot
• Justice Dept says press releases deleted from website
WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department has removed from its website hundreds of press releases detailing criminal charges brought against individuals involved in the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Congress, according to media reports.
The Jan 6 attack happened after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was stolen from him.
Thousands of Trump supporters marched to the Capitol building while Congress was meeting to officially confirm Biden’s victory. Rioters broke through police barriers, smashed windows and entered the building. Lawmakers were forced to hide or flee. Several people died and many police officers were injured.
After the attack, the Justice Department carried out one of the biggest investigations in US history. More than 1,500 people were charged with crimes. Hundreds were sent to prison.
On Friday, the Justice Department confirmed that many press releases about those cases had been removed from its website. “Nothing ‘quiet’ about it,” the department’s Rapid Response account said on X. “We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponisation under the Biden administration,” the post added. It also said the department wanted to remove what it called “partisan propaganda” from the website.
The statement came after Washington Post reporter Meryl Kornfield said the Trump administration was quietly deleting information about the Capitol attack.
NBC News later reported that most Jan 6-related press releases had disappeared from the Justice Department website.
Since returning to office this year, President Trump has taken several steps related to the Jan 6 cases. On his first day back in the White House, he gave pardons to many people charged over the riot. His administration also removed several Justice Department officials and FBI agents linked to the investigation.
This week, the Justice Department announced a new $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund. The money is meant for people who say they were unfairly targeted for political reasons.
Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026
