DOJ Scrubs Jan. 6 Press Releases, Calls Them ‘Propaganda’
The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump has acknowledged removing hundreds of press releases from its website that documented criminal cases against defendants charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, characterizing the information as “partisan propaganda.” The move is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration to systematically dismantle the legal consequences of the Capitol assault, raising concerns among lawmakers and transparency advocates about the erasure of public record.
Context: A Systematic Rewriting of History
Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has taken multiple steps to reverse the legal and historical record of the January 6 attack. On his first day back, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all 1,500-plus people charged with crimes during the Capitol assault, including those convicted of attacking police officers with makeshift weapons.
In April 2026, the DOJ asked a federal appeals court to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions of leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers — far-right extremist groups whose prosecutions were among the most significant legal victories against those who organized the attack. The court granted that request on May 21, and the department moved to dismiss the cases the following day.
Just days earlier, on May 18, the DOJ announced the creation of a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund meant to compensate Trump allies who claim they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out that rioters convicted of violence could be eligible for payouts from the fund.
The Website Purge
The removal of press releases came to light on Friday, May 22, when a journalist observed the DOJ was “quietly” deleting news releases from its website, including one about a Texas man who pleaded guilty to assault and faced separate state charges of soliciting a minor. The DOJ responded through its “rapid response” account on X (formerly Twitter), declaring there was “nothing ‘quiet’ about it.”
“We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponization under the Biden administration,” the department stated. “We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.”
Among the releases removed were those documenting seditious conspiracy cases against members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, as well as hundreds of other press releases covering criminal charges, convictions, and sentencings from what was the largest single investigation in DOJ history.
Bipartisan Backlash
The administration’s actions have drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans in Congress. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Blanche demanding transparency about who is eligible to receive money from the $1.776 billion fund.
“The notion of the federal government doling out compensation to rioters who sought to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and violently assaulted members of the United States Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department on January 6, 2021 is absurd and offensive,” Durbin wrote.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) also sent a letter requesting details on the fund’s eligibility requirements and its “exact legal purpose,” warning that “a massive discretionary fund, with no oversight or approval from Congress, represents a dangerous backsliding in the transparency of our institutions.”
Legal Challenges
Two police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 have filed a lawsuit to block the fund, calling it a “taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups.” The lawsuit adds to mounting legal challenges against the administration’s efforts to reverse the consequences of the attack.
Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was dragged into the mob and suffered a heart attack after being shocked with a stun gun, expressed disappointment but not surprise at the developments. “I would remind Americans that these were traitors to this country,” Fanone said. “They planned, incited and carried out an insurrection.”
Implications and Outlook
Critics argue that the removal of press releases from the DOJ website represents an unprecedented erasure of public record, eliminating access to documentation of one of the largest federal investigations in American history. The DOJ’s characterization of its own previous work as “weaponization” and “partisan propaganda” marks a wholesale rejection of the Biden administration’s approach to prosecuting those involved in the Capitol attack.
The Trump administration, by contrast, frames these actions as correcting the politicization of the Justice Department under its predecessor. The administration has argued that the prosecutions were politically motivated and that those charged were unfairly targeted.
Key questions remain unanswered: How many press releases were removed in total? Will the DOJ provide a list to Congress or the public? Will violent Jan. 6 rioters ultimately receive payments from the fund? And what will be the outcome of the police lawsuit seeking to block it?
As legal challenges and congressional oversight efforts continue, the battle over the historical narrative of January 6 — and the consequences for those who participated in the attack — remains far from settled.