Following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, many expected the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the Joe Biden administration to begin a brutal crackdown on many of the perpetrators. But so far, the department has been fairly quiet aside from hitting various rioters with charges. Now Attorney General Merrick Garland and the DOJ face renewed expectations for action as a California court points to the possible criminality of Donald Trump, and the House of Representatives looks to hold multiple Trump allies in contempt of Congress.

On Monday, the California district court released a ruling regarding John Eastman and the U.S. House Select Committee on January 6th’s access to his emails. Eastman was a close ally of former President Trump following his 2020 election loss and helped craft the plan to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. The investigation into Eastman then inevitably led to a look into the activities of then-President Trump in the days between the election and Jan. 6.  

Throughout the decision, the judge not only points out the wrongdoings of Eastman but also Donald Trump. Judge David Carter lays out how Trump and Eastman likely created the plan with full knowledge that it had no legal basis and continually pushed it anyways. Judge Carter even goes as far to outright accuse the pair of attempting a coup. 

Much of the decision reads like less of a case against Eastman and more like a guide for how to prosecute Donald Trump. Something a notable chunk of the country has been waiting for for a while. 

In addition to the Eastman case, the House January 6th Committee voted to hold Trump allies Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress. Both refused to appear after being summoned, and their fate will now be up to the House and possibly the DOJ. Should the House vote to charge them, which they likely will, thanks to Democrat control, it will then be up to the DOJ to charge and apprehend them. 

Whichever story grabs your attention more, it is clear that the DOJ is going to be under pressure to make a move soon. Millions of Americans are waiting for some larger-scale justice for the behavior of the former president and his allies following their defeat. The more information that comes out, the clearer it becomes that there was an organized attempt by our executive to ignore the will of the people. Aside from its criminality, it is a huge insult and danger to all of our institutions. If the Biden DOJ does one thing during its entire tenure, it needs to be holding this group accountable for its actions.