DOJ Places Two Prosecutors on Leave Over Jan. 6 Memo

The Justice Department placed two federal prosecutors, Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, on administrative leave after they filed a sentencing memo in Taylor Taranto’s case that described Jan. 6 participants as “a mob of rioters” and noted that then‑President Trump had posted the purported address of Barack Obama. Taranto, a defendant pardoned for Jan. 6‑related offenses, was arrested in June 2023 near Obama’s Kalorama home carrying two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a machete after livestreaming threats that prosecutors say included an alleged bomb plot targeting NIST. He was convicted in May of unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of an unregistered firearm and making a false threat, and prosecutors in the memo sought 27 months’ imprisonment followed by supervised release and fines. Hours after filing the memo—which was signed off by U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro—the two line prosecutors were reportedly locked out of their government devices, escorted from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and placed on leave, and it is not yet clear who will represent the government at sentencing. The episode has prompted concern within the Justice Department and beyond that references to Jan. 6 and links to President Trump may carry professional risks for prosecutors handling politically sensitive cases.