Republicans including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) are demanding answers from the DOJ about the harsher response and treatment related to the three hour Capitol riot vs. the months of continuous rioting connected to BLM/Antifa over the past year.

This needs far more attention than has been receiving and it’s good that the senators are taking this up.

People who break the law should receive the same treatment under the law. You shouldn’t get excused or receive a pass because the folks in charge of dispensing justice like your politics. And by the same token you shouldn’t receive harsher treatment because they don’t like your politics.

But that’s seems to be what’s going on here. There’s definitely a difference in the treatment of those alleged to have committed offenses. Months of violent rioting that continues to this day against local and federal governments hasn’t gotten half the attention from law enforcement that the Capitol riot has, despite some of the same BLM/Antifa people organizing actions and committing offenses repeatedly. Meanwhile some of people allegedly involved in the Capitol riot in January are still being held, some allegedly in solitary confinement, which the senators indicate in a letter to the DOJ.

In the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the senators bust the difference in treatment and demanded an explanation as to why.

During the spring and summer of 2020, individuals used peaceful protests across the country to engage in rioting and other crimes that resulted in loss of life, injuries to law enforcement officers, and significant property damage. A federal court house in Portland, Oregon, has been effectively under siege for months. Property destruction stemming from the 2020 social justice protests throughout the country will reportedly result in at least $1 billion to $2 billion in paid insurance claims.

In June 2020, the DOJ reportedly compiled the following information regarding last year’s unrest:

“One federal officer [was] killed, 147 federal officers [were] injured and 600 local officers [were] injured around the country during the protests, frequently from projectiles.”

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), “since the start of the unrest there has been 81 Federal Firearms License burglaries of an estimated loss of 1,116 firearms; 876 reported arsons; 76 explosive incidents; and 46ATF arrests[.]”

By contrast while many BLM/Antifa folks were not charged or received deferred resolution agreements which ultimately could result in having no record, that’s not been the approach taken in regard to the Capitol riot.

DOJ’s apparent unwillingness to punish these individuals who allegedly committed crimes during the spring and summer 2020 protests stands in stark contrast to the harsher treatment of the individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. To date, DOJ has charged 510 individuals stemming from Capitol breach. DOJ maintains and updates a webpage that lists the defendants charged with crimes committed at the Capitol. This database includes information such as the defendant’s name, charge(s), case number, case documents, location of arrest, case status, and informs readers when the entry was last updated. No such database exists for alleged perpetrators of crimes associated with the spring and summer 2020 protests. It is unclear whether any defendants charged with crimes in connection with the Capitol breach have received deferred resolution agreements.

The senators asked for the DOJ to provide answers to the following questions as to the Capitol riot vs. the riots over the past year including how many people were held in solitary confinement, whether cellphone data was being collected, how many in each category were charged/released on bail or offered resolution agreements and how many DOJ/FBI personnel are working on the cases in each category.

It’s long since time that the DOJ deliver answers on this.