Nearly 1,400 people have been arrested for their roles in the alleged insurrection on January 6th, with no sign the Justice Department is slowing as President Trump embraces many defendants as "hostages" of a tyrannical regime.
The rate of arrests is increasing, with 122 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 70 during the same time period in 2023, the Epoch Times reported.
The uptick in arrests is notable, given the riot's importance as a campaign theme for President Biden.
The incumbent regularly mentions the Capitol riot to blast his opponent as a violent extremist, while Trump has accused Biden's Justice Department of orchestrating a tyrannical crackdown on Trump and many of his supporters, some of whom Trump has pledged to pardon.
While hundreds have been charged with crimes like assault, the majority of January 6th defendants are not accused of any violence.
Of the 1,387 defendants, 1,300 have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds, a misdemeanor.
Trump this week highlighted the case of a 72-year-old grandmother who is facing up to a year in prison for briefly entering the Capitol.
“Rebecca Lavrez, also known as the ‘J6 Praying Grandma,’ has been unfairly targeted by Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ, and now faces up to 1 YEAR in prison for peacefully walking around the Capitol, and praying for our Failing Nation on January 6th!" Trump wrote.
Over 353 people have been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony crime originally written in response to the Enron scandal that was never applied to political protesters prior to January 6th.
The DOJ confirmed the arrest numbers in a press release marking 39 months since the riot.
"The investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale," the release boasted.
The zeal of the DOJ has faced only occasional checks. An appeals court last month ruled that hundreds of defendants convicted of obstruction had their sentences improperly lengthened under a sentence enhancement for disrupting the "administration of justice."
The Supreme Court is set to hear a case this month that could impact hundreds of defendants charged with obstruction of an official proceeding. President Trump has also been charged with the crime in Jack Smith's January 6th case, which remains paused indefinitely.
