An attorney representing Jan. 6 protesters has spoken with the Department of Justice about creating a reparations panel that would decide on financial damages for those he asserts were unfairly prosecuted, The New York Times reported.
Mark McCloskey said last week that he had met with top DOJ officials regarding the creation of a panel that would consider cases individually and determine what reparations, if any, should be disbursed to rioters, according to the report.
McCloskey wants Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to oversee a "voluntary nonjudicial resolution committee," according to the report.
"The only thing I can do as your lawyer is to turn your losses into dollar bills," McCloskey said at Thursday's public meeting on social media, according to the Times.
Further, McCloskey, a personal injury attorney from St. Louis, told attendees that DOJ official Ed Martin is "100 percent on our side," the Times reported.
The protesters were granted clemency by President Donald Trump on the first day of his second term for crimes they were convicted of after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
McCloskey and attorney Peter Ticktin have been working on reparations since at least March, according to the report.
The report comes days after the Air Force confirmed to Newsmax that it had bestowed full military honors on Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol police during the riot. DOJ also agreed to a $5 million settlement with her estate earlier this year.
Also, a federal judge last week authorized a $2,200 refund to a rioter pardoned by Trump, marking the first case of reimbursement for fines and restitution paid by Jan. 6 defendants.
McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, made national headlines five years ago after wielding guns on their property when Black Lives Matter protesters broke down an iron gate and ignored a "No Trespassing" sign in June 2020.
Police seized the weapons, and the McCloskeys were charged with unlawful use of a weapon. They pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault and second-degree harassment. They were pardoned in August 2021 and got their weapons back earlier this month.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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