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Jan 8 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
(THREAD)

Two years ago, on Jan. 7, 2021, federal prosecutors filed the first cases against rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

They've since charged hundreds in what's become the largest criminal probe in FBI / DOJ history.

There's a long way to go.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
So far, they've made 900+ arrests and secured nearly 500 pleas and 40 guilty verdicts.

Even so, that's only a fraction of the 3,000+ who could be charged for either entering the building or engaging in violence and destruction outside.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
In many ways, the prosecutors spent year two playing catchup on the arrests made in year one.

The pace of arrests dramatically slowed in 2022, but DOJ secured convictions against 300+ defendants, including several on charges of seditious conspiracy.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
The scope of the evidence is difficult to comprehend.

As the FBI pointed out this week, if you started watching the tens of thousands of videos they've collected right now and kept viewing them continuously, that would take you right into 2024.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
Behind the scenes, online sleuths are playing a huge role.

You know that list of 350+ riot suspects on the FBI's website? The sleuths already identified more than 100 of them.

Plus an extra 600+ people who entered the building but haven't been charged.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
Included on that list of potential future Jan. 6 arrestees:

An ex-NFL player.

A neurosurgeon.

A former NASCAR driver.

Yet another male model.

Yet another former police officer.

Yet another corrections officer.

Yet another real estate agent.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
The FBI said it will be working these cases and making arrests “in the months and years to come."

Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department's work "is far from over."

But sleuths say the current math just doesn't work.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
“While it was encouraging to see the FBI state that they plan to bring justice to the remaining rioters in the months and years to come, the current pace of arrests is simply not sufficient to achieve that goal,” one of the #SeditionHunters told me.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
Remember Rally Runner, the guy who Tucker Carlson viewers were told was clearly a law enforcement officer, but is actually just a St. Louis Cardinals / Tucker fan?

He told me this week that he hasn't heard from the FBI since his initial interview.

huffpost.com/entry/tucker-c…
These guys? Also not FBI special agents.

DOJ just got a major boost to bring Jan. 6 cases to fruition.

But with the House in GOP control, we're going to see a lot of increased scrutiny of the Jan. 6 investigation, including from some suspended FBI special agents.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
To wit:
“No one’s giving up. New information is still being found every day." nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
“Anyone who entered the Capitol should never consider themselves anonymous, ever.”

Sleuths have a list of hundreds of IDs of people who entered the Capitol but have not yet been arrested:

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…
I asked one of the sleuths what they’d say to a rioter who is still waiting for a knock from the FBI.

“Turn yourself in,” they said.

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…

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More from @ryanjreilly

Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 9
The most compelling video of Treniss Evans, the Jan. 6 defendant featured in this sympathetic piece, was left on the cutting room floor.
So here it is:
.@FullMeasureNews clearly had access to the full videos here, but close just a tiny clip that shows him in the best possible light.
Read 4 tweets
Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 6
Capitol Police have confirmed the arrest of Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer two years ago today after she jumped through a broken window leading into the Speaker's Lobby.
"A woman in the group was given multiple warnings to get out of the road. Instead of getting out of the road, the woman refused to leave, turned around with her hands behind her back, and asked to be arrested."
"As is typical for this charge, Ms. Witthoeft was processed and released this afternoon after being given a citation to appear in court at a later date."
Read 5 tweets
Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 6
A Jan. 6 participant just led a random group of eighth grade tourists around the grounds of the Capitol singing a patriotic song.

Their chaperones told me they had no clue what was up.

“We don’t support that.”

Not tweeting kids’ images, but here he is saying goodbye.
Sure you’ll see it on TikTok soon unless the chaperones got to them.

Chaperones: make sure the guy in the funny hat leading your eighth graders around the Capitol perimeter wasn’t on the restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6!
Here he was at a previous protest:
Read 4 tweets
Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 6
The scene at the U.S. Capitol, where witnesses say Ashli Babbitt’s mom was arrested.
Earlier:
All of this is taking place between the Capitol and the federal courthouse, where hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants are being prosecuted.
Read 6 tweets
Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 6
Take a little journey with me, won’t you?

SO. Two years ago today, on Jan. 6, 2021, @misstessowen tweeted this photo of three Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

They were wearing matching MAGA CIVIL WAR shirts.
For some, this photo illustrated the ample warning signs that Jan. 6 could go bad. Trump supporters literally showed up. in "CIVIL WAR" t-shirts!

But, on the dumbest parts of the internet, another narrative emerged: that these guys were obviously feds (or "FED'S"). ImageImageImage
Now there's no evidence at the moment that this trio entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 or did anything else outside the building -- like assault officers or destroy property -- that would earn them charges. They normally wouldn't be a very high priority for online sleuths.
Read 10 tweets
Ryan J. Reilly Profile picture
Jan 5
Jan. 6 committee staffers say the report's "emphasis on Trump meant important context was left on the cutting room floor." justsecurity.org/84658/insiders…
Jan. 6 committee investigators: "the lack of an official Committee report chapter or appendix dedicated exclusively to these matters does not mean our investigation exonerated social media companies for their failure to confront violent rhetoric."
"These threats to U.S. democracy are likely to outlive Trump’s political relevance, and they were not outside the purview of the Committee." justsecurity.org/84658/insiders…
Read 6 tweets

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