Justice Department Removes January 6 News Releases From Website

The Justice Department confirmed it removed news releases documenting criminal cases tied to January 6, 2021 from its website. Officials called the deleted material partisan propaganda. The pages had listed charges, convictions, and sentencing outcomes for defendants in the Capitol breach.

Washington Post reporter Meryl Kornfield posted before-and-after screenshots on X on Friday showing the changes.

The department's Rapid Response account replied that the removals were not quiet. It stated the action reverses what it called weaponization under the prior administration and aims to make whole those it says were persecuted for political purposes.

Deleted items included summaries of cases involving members of groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, some of whom had been convicted of seditious conspiracy. Some of those convictions have since been vacated or dropped. On the first day of the current term, officials issued clemency measures covering more than 1,500 defendants.

The measures included pardons, sentence commutations, and case dismissals.

The administration is advancing a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people it says were unfairly targeted by federal investigations. Eligibility may extend to some January 6 defendants. The proposal has drawn bipartisan criticism. Hundreds of defendants are seeking payouts, and two injured officers have filed lawsuits challenging the fund.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out payments to individuals who attacked police officers.