Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen warned late Tuesday that the Justice Department will not tolerate any violence at President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration next week.
In his first public on-camera address as acting attorney general, Mr. Rosen said the Justice Department will engage anyone who attempts to occupy government buildings or disrupt the inauguration.
“I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct: We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20 that our Constitution calls for,” Mr. Rosen said in a video message posted to Facebook.
“We will have no tolerance for any attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings. There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other form of lawlessness,” he continued.
Mr. Rosen’s comments come a week after a violent mob of pro-Trump supporters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol to stop lawmakers from certifying Mr. Biden’s election victory. The violence has led to Trump impeachment talk on Capitol Hill.
The Justice Department already opened 70 cases, and the number of individuals charged is expected to grow into the hundreds in the coming weeks.
The FBI is investigating more than 170 people related to the riot.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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