In response to the Justice Department’s effort to vacate the convictions of several former members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers extremist groups convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“The Justice Department is trying to erase accountability for the people found guilty of perpetrating violence during the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. That attack was aimed at keeping Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election. This action by the Justice Department now rewards lawlessness and sedition.
But while the Department of Justice has abandoned its sacred duty to protect the voters and voices that comprise our multi-racial democracy, the Lawyers’ Committee will not abandon this fight. We have an ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of Capitol police officers who were on the front lines defending life, liberty, and democracy that fateful day. The defendants include Trump, the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and several individuals, including some of those whose convictions the Justice Department now wants to vacate.
Even if a court were to approve this outrageous request, they are not in the clear. Our civil rights lawsuit continues against these defendants. And just last month, a federal court ruled that Donald Trump is not immune from civil liability for his role in the January 6 insurrection, as he previously claimed. So, we will not stop until we secure meaningful accountability and protection from further threats to our democracy.”
