- Raskin in a recent SiriusXM interview said he was "impatient" at the pace of the DOJ's Jan. 6 probe.
- "We don't have a lot of time … at the end of this Congress, we're over," he told host Joe Madison.
- Attorney General Merrick Garland last week remarked on the expansive scope of the DOJ investigation.
Rep. Jamie Raskin on Friday said has been "impatient" with the pace of the Justice Department's Capitol riot probe.
During an interview with SiriusXM radio host Joe Madison, the Maryland Democrat and member of the January 6 committee said that the panel's future will be in doubt after the midterm elections when Republicans — who were overwhelmingly opposed to the creation of the committee — could potentially regain a majority in the lower chamber.
Many Democrats have been cautious about letting the Justice Department perform its duties while also noting that US Attorney General Merrick Garland is deeply committed to a fair investigation. But former President Donald Trump is poised to announce a 2024 presidential campaign in the coming months, which would add a distinctly political element to the probe.
"Obviously I'm impatient," Raskin said of the pacing of the Justice Department's investigation. "We don't have a lot of time certainly in Congress to do our work because, at the end of this Congress, we're over."
The congressman remarked that the panel was "in a hurry for America" because its members have to "deal with people who attack the constitutional order" ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
"We're still in front of the 2022 election so I would like to see some motion there, but beyond that, I don't really want to say much more because Merrick Garland is my constituent and I do not beat up on my constituent," he added.
Garland said at a press conference last week that the scope of the department's investigation was far-reaching and that he would seek to maintain its "integrity."
"We have to get this right. And for the people who are concerned, as I think every American should be, about protecting democracy, we have to do two things: we have to hold accountable every person who is criminally responsible for trying to overturn a legitimate election, and we must do it in a way filled with integrity and professionalism, the way the Justice Department conducts investigations," he said.
"Both of these are necessary in order to achieve justice and to protect our democracy," he added.
Earlier this month, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming — the vice chair of the January 6 committee — said that the panel could potentially make multiple criminal referrals, including one against Trump.
"Ultimately, the Justice Department will decide that," she said at the time. "If you just think about it from the perspective of what kind of man knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his own vice president is under threat — when the Congress is under threat? It's just very chilling."
A criminal referral made by the panel would have no concrete legal effect but would allow Congress to notify the Justice Department of the possibility of criminal conduct.