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- Federal investigators are deepening their investigation into the Jan.6 riot, according to CNN.
- The federal government is investigating potential links between lawmakers and suspected rioters ahead of the siege.
- If a connection is made, lawmakers and staff may need to return personal communications.
- Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.
Federal agencies investigating the January 6 insurgency in Washington are examining communications between lawmakers and members of the pro-Trump Mafia, according to a new CNN report.
According to a US official who spoke to CNN, investigators are trying to determine whether those who violated the Capitol were directly or indirectly helped by lawmakers before the insurgency.
The CNN report added that so far there are indications of contact between lawmakers and rioters ahead of the insurgency.
Some who planned or attended the Jan. 6 rally praised their relationships with members of Congress; As Insider previously reported, “Ali Alexander, the organizer of Stop the Steal,” said three members of Congress helped him plan the rally leading up to the Capitol siege.
However, investigators have yet to request arrest warrants for lawmakers’ personal communications, or find concrete evidence that lawmakers gave instructions to members of the crowd.
On January 6, more than 300 Mafia members were indicted, and many more face federal and local charges. Insider has created a searchable database of all the suspected rioters who have been charged so far.
According to CNN, the Justice Department has tasked more than 20 prosecutors with determining which groups organized the Capitol siege, which potentially funded rioters, and whether there is a link between lawmakers, their staff and suspected rioters.
Investigators have access to data from cell phone towers, which they use to track down those who raped and left the Capitol on Jan.6 without being immediately arrested, according to CNN. And at the federal level, the FBI is authorized to collect telephone metadata as well as geolocation data for investigations.
According to the report, law enforcement officials followed an “exclusion list” to track rioters who entered the Capitol, isolating approved authorized mobile devices and focusing on the metadata of those who did not. not allowed in the building.
The CNN report added that Democrats are pushing investigators to examine security footage of Capitol Police, to determine if members of Congress organized visits to organizers of the rally and the Stop the Steal violation before the 6th. January, which has been alleged by some Democratic members of Congress. .
Insider has contacted the FBI and the Justice Department for their comment.
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