FBI Washington
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 278-3519
January 8, 2021

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono’s Remarks on Press Call Regarding Violence at U.S. Capitol

FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono delivered the following remarks during a press call regarding the January 6, 2021, violent activity at the U.S. Capitol. Remarks prepared for delivery.

Thank you all.

Today’s charges are just the start of the results of the extensive work done by the FBI and our partners over the last few days, and we are far from done. The rioting and destruction we saw will not be tolerated by the FBI, and I can assure you that the FBI Washington Field Office and additional Headquarters and field office resources are working diligently around the clock to investigate those responsible for the violence and criminal actions we saw unfold on Wednesday. In the midst of the crisis, the FBI deployed hundreds of people, to include special agents, bomb technicians, Evidence Response Teams, tactical and specialty teams, and intelligence analysts, to name just a few. Immediately following Wednesday’s events, the full force of WFO and all 56 field offices have been dedicated to investigating the events that transpired on the 6th.

We are combing through tips we have received from the public and will move forward any appropriate investigative activity that will bring those responsible to justice. We have been in constant communication with our, state, federal, and local partners across the country to thoroughly and quickly identify, investigate, and locate those who wreaked havoc and caused damaged to the Capitol—a symbol of our democracy and freedom. 

We couldn’t do our work without the help from the public. Thank you for those tips we have received, and we encourage those with information to provide it to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or at fbi.gov/USCapitol.

Make no mistake, our work here is not done, and we will continue steadfast, as we are trained to do. This is what you have come to expect from your FBI, and I know that we are up to this challenge. We will continue to investigate all allegations of criminal activity and work with our partners at DOJ and the DC USAO to bring charges and prosecute those responsible for the horrific activity that happened here in our nation’s capital. 

Just because you’ve left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of criminal activity inside the Capitol. Bottom line—the FBI is not sparing any resources in this investigation.