At least 25 Kentuckians were arrested and criminally charged for taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol Building, when hundreds of people descended on the nation’s capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.
Those 25 people were charged as part of a sprawling, nationwide investigation into the events of that day. A KyCIR review of court records found that people traveled from Kentucky with the intention of stopping the peaceful transition of power and were prepared to use violence to do so. Some of those charged were part of organized militias and extremist groups.
KyCIR interviewed Michael Stansbury , the special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Louisville field office, about the investigations following Jan. 6. Stansbury, who has been in this role since last September, said investigating political violence is a top priority for the office.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.