Prosecutors in the US put on hold after describing January 6 as a ‘mob of rioters’

U.S. Prosecutors Placed on Leave After Controversial Memo

In a notable development, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that two prosecutors were placed on administrative leave. This decision came shortly after they described the individuals who invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as a “mob of a mob” in a sentencing memo, as reported by several sources familiar with the situation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel White and Carlos Valdivia found themselves on leave and were prohibited from accessing government equipment just a day before their expected appearance in federal court for the sentencing of Taylor Tarrant.

Tarrant had been convicted for gun possession after he drove to former President Barack Obama’s neighborhood in Washington, D.C., in June 2023. This was shortly after then-President Donald Trump shared what he claimed was a speech by Obama online.

New prosecutors, including a senior figure from the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, stepped in on Wednesday. They withdrew the initial sentencing memo and replaced it with a new version that excluded references to the Capitol incident and omitted mentions of Trump’s earlier post about Obama’s speech.

Tarrant was initially charged in connection with the Capitol incident but received a pardon in January after Trump returned to the White House. Although he was one of nearly 1,600 individuals pardoned, he remained in custody due to firearms charges until 2023.

Meanwhile, Trump and his supporters have attempted to downplay the January 6 events, asserting that prosecutors are engaging in a “national injustice.”

Previously, White and Valdivia had urged U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to impose a 27-month prison sentence on Tarrant, and a later memo reaffirmed that recommendation.

Sources indicated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office made the decision regarding White and Valdivia, although no official explanation for their leave was provided. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment, and attempts to contact the two lawyers for additional insight were unsuccessful.

This recent action is part of a broader pattern targeting Justice Department staff involved in controversial criminal and civil cases associated with Trump and his allies. Over 200 personnel have been dismissed, some involved in criminal cases against the former president and others related to the Capitol siege.

Tarrant was convicted of firearms charges on June 28, 2023, following an incident where he falsely claimed he would drive a car bomb into a federal facility.

The day after Trump’s social media post, Tarrant livestreamed himself driving toward Obama’s Washington neighborhood, indicating he was searching for a “tunnel” to enter a home. In the livestream, he declared, “I have to shoot. I will do whatever it takes to get shot,” before he was apprehended.