Investigations into the chaos that rocked the US Capitol ahead of the certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory are now underway. It’s emerging that off-duty police officers and members of the military will be investigated in connection to the incident.
The FBI is working hand in hand with local law enforcement in various states across the country to track down and arrest all those involved. Some of the suspects under the radar of the FBI include police officers and members of the military.
Early reports indicate that some have been placed on administrative leave as investigations continue. The FBI is expected to file hundreds of cases against these individuals with charges related to insurrection and sedition.
It’s not clear though how many members of the uniformed forces were involved, but we are learning that several bodies are currently investigating the conduct of their officers in connection to the riot that left five people dead. According to the Washington Post, the Seattle Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff’s office in Texas, and the Zelienople police department in Pennsylvania are some of the bodies investigating officers under them as possible suspects in the Capital attack.
Some police officers are also coming out to distance themselves from the riot albeit they admit they were present during the rally. Dave Ellis, a police chief in Troy, New Hampshire, is one of these officers. While he notes that he attended the Trump rally shortly before the march to the Capitol, he insists that he left the scene before the riots started.
We are also learning that two police officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia have been placed on forced administrative leave as their attendance at the rally is being investigated by authorities. But it gets more disturbing. The AP is reporting that members of the US military may have been involved as well.
At the moment, the US military is investigating a psychological-operations officer named Emily Rainey who’s accused of leading a group of protesters from North Carolina to the US capitol. The FBI has, however, opened charges against a few people so far, including Larry Brock, a retired member of the US Air Force.
Brock, a citizen of Texas, surrendered himself to the FBI after he was pictured in a viral photo inside the US Senate carrying plastic ties that could be used as handcuffs. The riots at the US Capitol have been described as the saddest day in the history of American democracy. The fallout also continues as House Democrats move to impeach president Trump for inciting the mob.
Several Republican House members have also joined the effort but more significantly, it’s emerging that Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell may move to fire the president this time around.
We have also seen additional GOP senators indicate that they intend to vote to remove the president from office in what could be an unprecedented and chaotic move. But it’s unlikely that the impeachment will occur before the inauguration of Joe Biden as president.
