DOJ Removes Jan. 6 Case Releases, Calls Prior Online Records Propaganda
The Justice Department said it removed Jan. 6 case news releases from its website on Friday, May 22, 2026, calling them "partisan propaganda." CBS News
The purged material included online summaries of seditious-conspiracy prosecutions against Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.[1] A federal appeals court granted DOJ's unopposed motion last Thursday, May 21, 2026, to overturn those seditious-conspiracy convictions.[1] On Friday, the department moved to dismiss the underlying cases.[1] On Monday, May 25, 2026, DOJ also announced a $1.776 billion fund for people who say they were unjustly investigated or prosecuted.[1]
In January 2025, President Donald Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants.[1] DOJ said the removals reflect a decision to stop presenting past prosecutions in material it now deems politically slanted.[1]
The deletions change what the public can easily see about the government's handling of the Capitol riot and will affect how lawyers, journalists and historians reconstruct the official record.
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, May 22, 2026, DOJ publicly acknowledged via X that it is removing Jan. 6 case news releases from its website, saying it is stripping the site of 'partisan propaganda.'
- The removed releases include online summaries of seditious-conspiracy prosecutions against Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
- A federal appeals court granted DOJ’s unopposed motion last month to vacate those seditious-conspiracy convictions on Thursday, May 21, 2026, and DOJ moved on Friday, May 22, 2026, to dismiss the underlying cases.
- The article situates the website purge alongside Trump’s January 2025 clemency for all 1,500-plus Jan. 6 defendants and DOJ’s May 25, 2026 rollout of a $1.776 billion fund for people who claim they were unjustly investigated or prosecuted.
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