Federal charges against pro-Trump extremists expected as early as today

Acting Atty. Gen. Jeffrey Rosen said that he expected arrests to be made as soon as Thursday of pro-Trump extremists who stormed the U.S. Capitol to interrupt the counting of electoral college votes.

Photos: Trump supporters turn violent, storm U.S. Capitol

Violent supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, shattering windows, ransacking offices and pounding on the barricaded doors of the House chamber while shaken lawmakers huddled inside.

“Yesterday, our Nation watched in disbelief as a mob breached the Capitol Building and required federal and local law enforcement to help restore order,” Rosen said in a statement. “Our criminal prosecutors have been working throughout the evening with special agents and investigators from the U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, ATF, Metropolitan Police Department and the public to gather the evidence, identify perpetrators, and charge federal crimes where warranted.”

Rosen added that “some participants in yesterday’s violence” will face charges Thursday and promised that agents and prosecutors would track down others to “ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law.”

Rosen took over as attorney general last month, replacing then-Atty. Gen. William Barr, who had stepped aside after drawing the ire of President Trump for asserting the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have helped President-elect Biden win.

‘Tearing us apart’: For a watching nation, Capitol riot marks a surreal unraveling

The violent breaching of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday by extremist partisans of President Trump resounded with the echoes of another national tragedy, giving rise to an almost vertigo-inducing sensation: a rip in the fabric of time.

In a statement issued Thursday, Barr blasted the president for inciting supporters to storm the Capitol.

“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable,” Barr said. “The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”