How many Jan. 6 rioters work for the federal government? Raskin wants to find out

There's at least one Jan. 6 participant currently working in the Trump administration, and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee wants to know how many more may have been hired.

In a Monday letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., inquired how many such individuals are employed at their respective departments. 

Notably, Jared Wise, a former FBI agent and current Justice Department employee, faced charges of urging rioters to kill law enforcement officers during the 2021 attack on the Capitol. During his criminal trial, he was one of nearly 1,600 individuals associated with Jan. 6 to receive clemency from Trump on his first day back in office. 

Wise is an advisor to the Weaponization Working Group, which was established to investigate alleged instances of politically motivated prosecutions during the Biden administration. That entity is led by Ed Martin, whose nomination as the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., was pulled due to objections from senators over his legal defense of Jan. 6 rioters. 

“Together, Mr. Wise and Mr. Martin have led this administration’s efforts to fire, demote and harass the dedicated career prosecutors, FBI agents and support personnel who did their professional and civic duty holding to account the persons who committed crimes on January 6th,” wrote Raskin, who served on the House panel that investigated the attack. 

The lawmaker also accused DHS of “courting” Jan. 6 participants as part of its campaign to recruit new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. For example, a recent ICE recruitment ad featured the phrase “We will have our home again,” which is similar to a white supremacist anthem that is popular with the Proud Boys, a far-right group that was involved in the Jan. 6 attack. 

Raskin requested answers from the department heads by Jan. 26 in addition to records and documents about federal law enforcement officers wearing face masks on the job. 

Democrats have criticized the practice of ICE agents donning face coverings, arguing that it’s emblematic of an out-of-control agency. DHS officials have said that masks are necessary to protect officers from doxxing. 

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary for Public Affairs, called Raskin’s letter “reckless, disgusting and unhinged.” In particular, she seized on his criticisms of ICE agents wearing masks. 

“His posturing is not principled,” she said in a statement to Government Executive. “It is dangerous and it puts federal officers at risk.” 

DOJ didn’t respond to a request for comment.