The U.S. attorney responsible for leading the largest investigation in the history of the Department of Justice is stepping down before former President Donald Trump has the chance to remove him from his position. But far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t ready to let him walk away quietly.
Matthew Graves, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., has been at the forefront of prosecuting hundreds of people involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Many of those charged are individuals Trump has promised to pardon if he regains the presidency. Greene, however, has made it clear that she believes Graves shouldn’t escape accountability.
In a recent interview with a media outlet, Greene voiced her anger, saying, “We’re about to take over, and we’re going to be in charge. He should pay for what he’s done to these people.” She accused Graves of destroying lives, claiming marriages, families, and careers have been shattered due to the prosecutions stemming from January 6. Greene added, “He doesn’t get to resign and run away.”
The January 6 assault on the Capitol, driven by Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, led to over 1,600 individuals facing charges. More than 1,100 of those have already been sentenced, including some who faced rare charges of seditious conspiracy, a crime tied to acts of treason. Nearly 600 people were charged with assaulting law enforcement, with around 200 accused of using dangerous weapons or causing serious injuries to officers.
Some defendants, banned from Washington, D.C., are now requesting permission from judges to attend Trump’s inauguration if he returns to office. Federal judges, meanwhile, are increasingly expressing concerns about potential pardons for those involved in the violent attack.
Graves announced he would step down on January 16, just days before Trump could take office. In a statement, the Department of Justice highlighted Graves’ dedication to prosecuting politically motivated violence, calling such crimes a threat to society.
This isn’t Greene’s first attempt to challenge Graves. Last year, she unsuccessfully tried to impeach him, accusing him of using his position to go after Capitol rioters while ignoring what she called “real criminals.” She’s also been vocal about her opposition to the detention of some January 6 defendants in a Washington jail. According to prosecutors, some detainees were deemed too dangerous to be released before their trials.
For instance, Shane Jenkins was accused of throwing nine different objects at police officers during the Capitol attack, including a desk drawer, a flagpole, and a sharp wooden stick. Another individual, Jonathan G. Mellis, reportedly used a large wooden stick to stab at officers, hitting them in the face and head multiple times.
Despite the violent nature of these actions, Greene has suggested that many of those involved have already “served their time” and should move on. She criticized judges for what she described as “horrific sentences” for individuals who, in her words, “did nothing but protest an election.”
As the debate over the consequences for the January 6 rioters continues, it’s clear that both sides remain deeply divided on what justice looks like in one of the most consequential political moments in recent U.S. history.
