Former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy ripped the Department of Justice Tuesday, questioning why it was not pursuing rioters in Atlanta who face state charges of domestic terrorism.
“They had to travel in interstate commerce to get to Georgia which means where is the Department of Justice? Where is Merrick Garland? Where is the United States attorney’s office?” Gowdy asked Fox News host John Roberts. “I mean, a Molotov cocktail is an unregistered explosive device. Arson can be a federal crime. They are traveling in interstate commerce which is an element of a federal offense and they are doing other crimes, so where is the Department of Justice?” (RELATED: Antifa Is The ‘Armed Instrument’ Of The ‘Permanent Democratic Establishment,’ Tucker Carlson Says)
Gowdy’s comments came after rioters attacked the construction site for a law-enforcement training facility Sunday, leading to at least 23 arrests on charges of domestic terrorism after construction equipment was burned. The site was the scene of a violent protest following an incident during which a left-wing activist was shot and killed Jan. 18.
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One of those arrested in the weekend riots was a lawyer with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which blamed police for “escalating tactics,” claiming their staff member was “a legal observer on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG)” in a statement released Monday.
“We know Merrick Garland doesn’t like domestic terrorism, he said that when some parents got together in Virginia. He never misses a chance to do something about what he considers right-wing extremism, so how about this?” Gowdy asked. “Here’s everything, John, that I don’t get: For years and years the left has been telling us we need more training for law enforcement. We need more de-escalation training. We need to train them on proper use of force and here you have a training facility.”
“That’s what this is, a training facility, and these spoiled brats want to firebomb it,” Gowdy continued. “So publish the names of anyone who donates money to get these spoiled brat anarchists out of jail, publish the names of the people who think it’s a good idea to have them back out on the streets.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland asked Congress to provide an additional $34 million to fund further prosecutions for those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol Building in October. The Justice Department has come under fire for allegedly harsh conditions on those held before trial and the pursuit of lengthy prison sentences while not filing similar charges over riots following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
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