DOJ says it needs more money for the Jan. 6 probe. The next spending bill may be its last chance – By Sahil Kapur and Ryan J. Reilly (NBC News) / Oct 20, 2022
The Justice Department says extra funding is “critically needed” to sustain its investigation into Jan. 6, but the message hasn’t broken through with some on the Hill.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it is in critical need of more money to bring the Jan. 6 rioters to justice. But it’s not clear Congress will grant that request in a major funding bill planned for December. And if it fails to do so before the new year, a potential Republican-led House could imperil the resources they need.
With just weeks of work left in this Congress, the future of the sprawling federal criminal investigation into the thousands of rioters who stormed the building in support of then-President Donald Trump rests, in part, in the hands of congressional appropriators who craft funding bills to keep the government running.
“There are lots of requests,” House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said when asked about the Department of Justice’s request for the extra Jan. 6 funding in the year-end bill. “We’re taking a look at all of them and seeing what makes it and seeing what doesn’t make it.”
The Justice Department has called Jan. 6 “the most wide-ranging investigation” in its history, with more than 870 arrests so far. For 21 months, the investigation, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, has largely been propped up with help from 93 federal prosecutors’ offices from across the country who are volunteering personnel.
