DOJ Says Probe of Trump’s Jan. 6 Role Will Continue If He Declares 2024 Run

(Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department’s investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results won’t be deterred if the former president declares his intention to run again, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.

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“We’re going to continue to do our job, to follow the facts wherever they go, no matter where they lead, no matter to what level,” Monaco said Tuesday at a cybersecurity conference in New York. “We’re going to continue to investigate what was fundamentally an attack on our democracy.”

There have been reports in recent days that Trump might declare in the near future that he’s running again to be the Republican candidate for president in 2024, apparently in an attempt to help shield him from potential prosecution over the plot that culminated in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Legally, Trump wouldn’t enjoy any special protections by being a declared candidate for president. Politically, though, the Justice Department likely would face increased criticism that it is investigating a presidential candidate of an opposing political party, especially if the probe leads to criminal charges.

Monaco reiterated a pledge that she and Attorney General Merrick Garland have made that the Justice Department will follow the facts of the investigation wherever they lead. To date, the department has prosecuted more than 850 individuals for offenses related to the attack on the Capitol and has issued subpoenas for information about Trump allies and lawyers.

“The mandate the team has remains, which is to follow the facts wherever they go, regardless of what level, regardless of whether the subject of those investigations were present on Jan. 6,” Monaco said.

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