Records rebut claims of unequal treatment of Jan. 6 rioters

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

Some people charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and their Republican allies claim the Justice Department is treating them harshly because of their political views. They also say those arrested during last year’s protests over racial injustice were given leniency. Court records tell a different story. An Associated Press review of court documents in more than 300 federal cases stemming from the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death last year shows that dozens of people charged have been convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison.