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FBI director suggests 'serious charges' coming in probe of Capitol attack

FBI director suggests 'serious charges' coming in probe of Capitol attack

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 10, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON: FBI Director Chris Wray on Thursday (Jun 10) suggested "serious charges" are still coming in the criminal investigation of the deadly Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

"This is a very ongoing investigation and there's a lot more to come," Wray said during an oversight hearing held by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. "I would expect to see more charges - some of them maybe more serious charges."

Wray testified that the FBI considered the attack an act of "domestic terrorism". He said he understands why Democratic lawmakers have called the attack an "insurrection", but said it would not be appropriate for him to use that word because of the effect it could have on pending criminal cases.

"In my role as FBI director, because that's a term that has legal meaning, I really have to be careful about using words like that," Wray said.

READ: Guns and tear gas in US Capitol as Trump supporters attempt to overturn his loss

Democratic lawmakers repeatedly grilled Wray, appointed by Trump in 2017, over what they said were intelligence failures that left law enforcement ill-prepared for the deadly attack.

"The FBI's inaction in the weeks leading up to Jan 6 is simply baffling," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said. 

"It is hard to tell whether FBI headquarters merely missed the evidence - which had been flagged by your field offices and was available online for all the world to see - or whether the Bureau saw the intelligence, underestimated the threat, and simply failed to act."

In this Jan 6, 2021, file photo, violent rioters storm the United States Capitol in Washington. (File photo: AP/John Minchillo) FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent rioters storm the Capitol, in Washington. With riot cases flooding into Washington���s federal court, the Justice Department is under pressure to quickly resolve the least serious cases. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Wray responded that on Jan 5 an FBI field office in Virginia issued an explicit warning, sent to US Capitol Police, that extremists were preparing to travel to Washington to commit violence.

Wray added that "almost none" of the 500 people charged so far with participating in the attack had been under FBI investigation previously, suggesting it would have been difficult for the FBI to have monitored them in advance.

"You can be darn sure that we are going to be looking hard at how we can do better, how we can do more, how we can do things differently in terms of collecting and disseminating" intelligence, Wray said.

READ: Few plea bargains in US Capitol riot cases as prosecutors stand firm

Asked whether the FBI was investigating Trump or his associate Roger Stone, Wray said he could neither confirm nor deny any FBI investigation.

"I'm talking about Mr Big, Number One," said Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, referring to Trump. "Have you gone after the people who incited the riot?"

Wray responded: "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to be discussing whether or not we are or aren't investigating specific individuals."

Source: Reuters

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