A group of Democratic senators is asking the Justice Department to help prevent convicted U.S. Capitol rioters from being reimbursed by taxpayers for court-ordered fines.

Federal judges ordered hundreds of rioters to pay restitution to offset the estimated $3 million in damages and cleanup costs from the 2021 attack. Only 15% of the costs had been reimbursed by Jan. 6 defendants as of summer 2024, according to a review by CBS News. But hours after returning to office, President Trump pardoned everybody convicted as part of the riot.

In a letter dated Monday and obtained by CBS News, the top Democrats on the Senate Rules and Senate Judiciary committees asked the Justice Department to oppose efforts to seek repayments by those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.

"These criminals are app

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