Attorney General Pam Bondi’s department suspended two federal prosecutors after they described the January 6 attack as a mob-fueled “riot” and referenced Donald Trump as part of their case.
Assistant U.S. attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White were told they were being suspended soon after filing a sentencing recommendation against Taylor Taranto, a Washington state man who was accused of participating in the 2021 attempt to keep Trump in power.
Taranto is now facing sentencing for unrelated weapons charges.
But in setting out the “factual background” to their case, prosecutors referred to January 6 as a day when “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
The filing—which was co-signed by U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro—also noted that on June 29, 2023, Trump had published the purported address of former President Barack Obama on a social media platform.
Taranto then re-posted the address and started live-streaming from his van on his YouTube channel as he drove through Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood, “claiming he was searching for ‘tunnels’ he believed would provide him access to the private residences of certain high-profile individuals, including former President Obama.”
“He walked through the nearby woods and stated, ‘Gotta get the shot, stop at nothing to get the shot, ’” the filing said.
The filing is awkward for Trump, as it links his doxxing of Obama to the criminal actions of Taranto at a time when the administration has repeatedly blamed political violence as a problem incited solely by the “radical left.”
MAGA Republicans have also spent years trying to play down the deadly Capitol attack, which took place after Trump told his supporters at a rally to “fight like hell” to stop Joe Biden’s victory from being certified.
On his first day back in office, Trump even pardoned hundreds of people who had been convicted for their role in the riot and ordered charges to be dismissed for people whose cases were still pending, including Taranto.
The 39-year-old now faces a separate sentencing after being convicted of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition and making false threats.
Asked about the suspensions, Bondi told the Daily Beast that “while we don’t comment on personal decisions, we want to make it very clear that we take violence and threats of violence against law enforcement, current or former government officials extremely seriously.
“We have and will continue to vigorously pursue justice against those who commit or threaten violence without regard to the political party of the offender or the target,” added Bondi.
But this is not the first time that staff in Bondi’s DOJ have been fired for working on cases related to the Capitol attack or its rioters.
In July, Bondi fired more than 20 Justice Department employees who worked on cases involving January 6 and Trump’s handling of classified documents.
In subsequent months, FBI director Kash Patel has also fired agents who were identified as having worked with Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted Trump for trying to subvert the 2020 election.
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