According to Bloomberg News, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves wrote to Beryl Howell, the former chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on October 28th, predicting that the number of individuals facing charges for their involvement in the January 6th Capitol insurrection could double, with between 700 and 1,200 more individuals potentially facing charges. However, Graves acknowledged the complexity of the investigation and the difficulty in predicting future cases with certainty, as changing resources and circumstances may require adjustments to the estimates.
Graves noted that his office expected the pace of new cases to increase in an orderly fashion over the next few months, but recent events, such as the airing of security footage from the Capitol by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the Republican investigation into the January 6 Committee, may impact the ongoing cases. Despite the increased criminal caseload, the court has managed its caseload and trial calendar efficiently, and Howell stated that the court would assess what additional steps, if any, it should take in the event of a surge in filings at a later date.
Since the Capitol insurrection, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has made over 1,000 arrests, with over 500 defendants pleading guilty, including four to a federal charge of seditious conspiracy. Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating former President Donald Trump on two fronts, related to his efforts challenging the 2020 election results and the events of January 6th.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves commented on the prosecutions, saying:
“We expect the pace of bringing new cases will increase, in an orderly fashion, over the course of the next few months,”
Still, Graves conceded the “complexity” of the investigation made it “incredibly difficult” to predict future cases and left room for tweaking the estimates as his office works to “evaluate changing resources and circumstances.”
At the time Graves sent the letter, the Justice Department reportedly closed in on its 900th arrest.
Howell, whose term as Chief Judge is set to end this week, released a statement saying the court:
“…continues to manage its caseload and trial calendar efficiently, notwithstanding the delays occasioned by the pandemic.”
“So far, the court has been able to manage the increased criminal caseload well,”
“Should a ‘surge’ of filings occur at a later date, the Court would assess what additional steps, if any, it should take.”
Over the past two years, more than 1,000 arrests have been made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and more than 500 defendants have pleaded guilty, including four to a federal charge of seditious conspiracy. Special counsel Jack Smith is currently investigating former President Donald Trump on two fronts, including in relation to efforts challenging the 2020 election results and the events of January 6.
