Sedition charges possible in Capitol riots, Justice official says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Seditious conspiracy charges, as well as rioting and insurrection, will be considered for those arrested in the breach of the U.S. Capitol, Justice Department officials said on Thursday.

Members of the U.S. Capitol Police will be among those interviewed as witnesses and if evidence emerges that implicated any of those officers as complicit, they will be charged, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin told reporters in a news briefing.

“All options are on the table,” including charges of seditious conspiracy, rioting and insurrection, Sherwin said.

Some Capitol Police officers were captured on camera posing for selfies with pro-Trump rioters who broke into the building on Wednesday that houses the House of Representatives and Senate.

The assault by supporters of President Donald Trump forced members of Congress who were in the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s Nov. 3 election victory to evacuate the chambers for several hours.

Sherwin said there were electronics stolen from U.S. senators’ offices that could potentially jeopardize national security.

“Materials were stolen, and we have to identify what was done, mitigate that, and it could have potential national security equities,” he said. “We just don’t know the extent of that damage at this point – if there was damage, we don’t know the extent of that.”

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool)