The U.S. attorney who was in charge of what many saw as highly politicized prosecutions against hundreds of Americans who took part in the January 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol Building has made a bombshell announcement ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Several reports on Monday confirmed that U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves is resigning, effective Jan. 16, he announced.
Graves has been in the role for more than three years, WTOP reported. “Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the honor of a lifetime,” Graves said in a news release. “I am deeply thankful to Congresswoman Holmes Norton for recommending me; to President Biden for nominating me; and to Attorney General Garland for placing his trust in me.”
Bridget Fitzpatrick, currently the principal assistant U.S. attorney and the highest-ranking career prosecutor in the office, will step into the role of acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia following Graves’ departure. Graves began his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in 2007 as a career prosecutor, serving in both the Superior Court and Criminal Divisions. In 2010, he was appointed senior assistant U.S. attorney in the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, eventually serving as its acting chief.
Graves played a leading role in the Department of Justice’s largest-ever investigation, addressing the violent events of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the outlet noted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia handles the prosecution of all federal crimes committed in D.C. and is also responsible for prosecuting serious local crimes committed by adults in the city. Additionally, the office represents the U.S. government, its departments, and agencies in civil cases filed in the D.C. federal court, as outlined on the office’s website.
“To date, roughly 1,600 people have been charged in connection with the attack with almost 1,100 having already been sentenced for their conduct,” said a Justice Dept. statement on Graves’ resignation. “There have been over 170 contested trials with the United States prevailing in more than 99% of them. These convictions include the first seditious conspiracy convictions since the trials stemming from the first bombing of the World Trade Center in the 1990s. Because politically motivated violence and destruction rip at the fabric of our society, Mr. Graves made federally prosecuting such crimes a priority.” Trump has said he will consider pardoning at least some of those convicted by Graves and his office.
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