DOJ Removes Jan. 6 Prosecution Records

The U.S. Department of Justice has removed hundreds of news releases related to criminal prosecutions connected to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol from its website, characterizing the records as 'partisan propaganda.' The deletions include press releases documenting criminal charges, guilty pleas, convictions, and sentencing tied to the Jan. 6 attack.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has moved quickly to align with President Donald Trump's agenda since taking over in early April after Pam Bondi was fired. In addition to removing the press releases, the DOJ under Blanche secured criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and ramped up investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan.

The mass-deletion follows a broader effort by the Trump administration to whitewash the attack, in which a mob of Trump supporters injured 140 police officers and threatened members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence. The Justice Department defended the move on social media, stating: 'We are proud to reverse the DOJ's weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda.'

The Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who claim they were unjustly investigated or prosecuted, sparking bipartisan anger in Congress. Blanche has defended the fund, saying there are no partisan requirements to file a claim. A five-person commission, four of whom Blanche will appoint directly, would oversee compensation for those claiming to be victims of 'lawfare' or 'weaponization,' terms Trump and his allies have long used to condemn cases against them.

Senators recoiled from the fund when it was rolled out last week and canceled a planned vote on funding immigration enforcement in protest. Some Republican lawmakers have discussed placing guardrails on the fund or eliminating it entirely. Blanche faced a tense meeting with Senate Republicans, many of whom expressed fury about the political optics of the fund and the prospect that people convicted of violent crimes could receive taxpayer-funded payouts.

A federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, finding the prosecution was improperly brought in retaliation for his legal challenge to his wrongful deportation. Judge Waverly Crenshaw cited Blanche’s remarks in a June 2025 Fox News interview as evidence of political motivation. The Justice Department has vowed to appeal the ruling.