Two federal prosecutors were placed on leave hours after describing Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as a mob of rioters.
Sources told ABC News that the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday informed Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White they would be put on administrative leave.
Assistant U.S. attorneys Valdivia and White were locked out of their government devices and informed that their leave will start when the government reopens, with the pair currently furloughed.
Highlights
- DOJ placed prosecutors Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White on administrative leave after they called January 6 crowd a 'mob of rioters'.
- The prosecutors referenced the Capitol attack and a Trump Truth Social post in a sentencing memo for Taylor Taranto.
- A revised memo removed all mentions of January 6 and Trump's post after the prosecutors were put on leave.
The DOJ placed two prosecutors on leave after they referenced January 6 rioters in a court document
Image credits: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
It came just hours after the prosecutors had referenced the U.S. Capitol attack and a Truth Social post made by Donald Trump in a sentencing memorandum for Taylor Taranto.
Taranto, who was pardoned by Trump for his involvement in the Capitol riot, is due to be sentenced in an unrelated case on Friday.
Those charges relate to his arrest in June 2023 near former President Barack Obama’s home.
Taranto was found with two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a machete after Trump included Obama’s home address in a Truth Social post, which was seen by Taranto before he traveled there.
The prosecutors noted that Taranto claimed “he was searching for ‘tunnels’ he believed would provide him access to the private residences of certain high-profile individuals, including former President Obama,” Politico reported.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Valdivia and White briefly referenced the January 6 attack in the sentencing memorandum.
"On January 6, 2021, 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 document read.
"Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building. After the riot, Taranto returned to his home in the State of Washington, where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of January 6, 2021."
A revised sentencing memorandum was filed by two new prosecutors on Wednesday evening, with all mention of January 6 and Trump’s Truth Social post removed.
The DOJ declined to comment on the incident, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro did not address the move in a statement to Politico.
Image credits: Brent Stirton/Getty Images
“While we don’t comment on personnel decisions, we want to make very clear that we take violence and threats of violence against law enforcement, current or former government officials extremely seriously,” Pirro said.
“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.”
It is unclear if Valdivia or White were told of the reasoning behind the decision to place them on leave; however, it comes after several people involved in prosecuting January 6 rioters have been removed or demoted.
Michael Gordon, who led major January 6 prosecutions, was fired in June via a one-line memo signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi. He is suing over the dismissal.