DOJ Edits Memo Removing Trump, Jan. 6 Mentions

The Justice Department quietly replaced a sentencing memorandum in the case of Taylor Taranto — a pardoned January 6 participant who was convicted in May on weapons- and threat-related charges after being found near former President Barack Obama’s D.C. home in June 2023 — removing earlier references to Donald Trump and the January 6 attack. The initial filing by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White recommended a 27-month prison term and linked Taranto’s conduct to extremist views, his participation in January 6, and his reposting of a social-media item that disclosed the Obamas’ purported address; those passages were omitted from the revised memo. Investigators say they found guns, a machete and ammunition in Taranto’s van, and prosecutors reported he livestreamed threats, claimed to have a detonator and searched for tunnels near officials’ homes. Valdivia and White were placed on administrative leave after filing the original memo, and career and former DOJ prosecutors and legal observers criticized the edits as a whitewashing of history that raises concerns about political interference. The episode has intensified scrutiny of how the DOJ is handling cases tied to January 6 and presidential pardons.