The Capitol riot of January 2021 set off the largest criminal investigation in the Justice Department’s history. For federal prosecutor Ashley Akers, it was a defining moment in a seven-year career spent untangling complex cases, from wire fraud to domestic terrorism. She helped put away dozens of rioters – including some who swung bats and beat police officers.
Then the tables turned. On his first day back in office, U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency to every criminally charged January 6 rioter. Akers resigned. And as rioters celebrated their freedom, a chilling threat arrived. One so grotesque it still lingers, said Akers: an online message invoking Seven, the 1995 thriller, imagining her decapitated head in a box.
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Then the tables turned. On his first day back in office, U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency to every criminally charged January 6 rioter. Akers resigned. And as rioters celebrated their freedom, a chilling threat arrived. One so grotesque it still lingers, said Akers: an online message invoking Seven, the 1995 thriller, imagining her decapitated head in a box.
They prosecuted the Capitol rioters. Now the rioters and the DOJ are after them.
After Trump’s mass pardons of the U.S. Capitol rioters, some have gained influence inside the Justice Department. The January 6 prosecutors describe mounting threats, harassment and fear of lasting damage to the U.S. justice system.
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