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In a surprising move, the Justice Department placed two federal prosecutors on administrative leave on Wednesday following their recent legal actions regarding the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This decision came shortly after the prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum that characterized the incident as a “riot” executed by a “mob” of thousands, as reported by various news outlets including The Washington Post, ABC News, and Politico.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White received notice of their suspension on Wednesday, which also resulted in their access to government devices being revoked, according to reports from ABC News and MSNBC.
The suspension of the prosecutors came shortly after they submitted a sentencing recommendation advocating for a 27-month prison term for Taylor Taranto. Taranto was among those granted a blanket pardon by former President Donald Trump for their involvement in the January 6 events.
Taranto is scheduled to face sentencing on Friday for separate offenses, which include making threats against the National Institute of Standards and Technology and driving through the neighborhood of former President Barack Obama with a vehicle loaded with firearms and ammunition.
The sentencing memorandum filed by the federal prosecutors comprised 14 pages, yet it succinctly described the Capitol assault in only three sentences.
“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. Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building,” they wrote in the sentencing memo.
“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,” they continued.
Valdivia and White were the primary authors of the sentencing memo, which also included the signature of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and Trump appointee who leads the office prosecuting Taranto.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment. Pirro issued a statement, reported by Politico, but declined to comment on the personnel move.
“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 in the reported statement.
“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,” she continued.