President Trump’s acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, warned in a YouTube video posted late Tuesday that federal law enforcement would have a zero-tolerance policy for violence at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration following the deadly rioting at the U.S. Capitol last week.
In his first public on-camera address as acting attorney general, Rosen said the Department of Justice would be on the lookout for attempts to “occupy government buildings” or other efforts to disrupt inaugural events.
“I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct: We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20 that our Constitution calls for. We will have no tolerance for any attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings. There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other form of lawlessness,” he said the video.
Rosen added that his agency’s efforts to identify and prosecute people involved in the seizure of the U.S. Capitol last week were “active” and ongoing.
A crowd of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol after he spoke to them as lawmakers met to certify Biden’s victory. House Democrats plan to impeach the president over his role in the rioting.
The remarks released late Tuesday served as Rosen’s first public address since he took over the Justice Department in December following former Attorney General William Barr’s resignation.
Barr himself has sharply criticized the violence at the Capitol, calling the occupation of the building “repugnant.” Five people were killed last Wednesday as a result the violence, including a Capitol Police officer, while lawmakers hid in secure areas.
“The violence at the Capitol Building is outrageous and despicable. Federal agencies should move immediately to disperse it,” Barr tweeted last week as the siege unfolded.