ROANOKE, Va.- – The former United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia is expressing his thoughts on the current Department of Justice and FBI civil rights investigation into violence in Charlottesville on Saturday.
Attorney John P. Fishwick of Fishwick and Associates says there are various serious crimes that occurred over the weekend.
He' s worked several civil rights cases during his career. Now he's pleased to learn the DOJ is launching a civil rights investigation in the aftermath of the tragedy in Charlottesville.
"I think Attorney General Sessions realizes that this was not one they could let simmer and debate whether they were going to open up and investigate. They needed to do it. Probably it was a good thing they did. Sometimes decisions are made more slowly than they should be and this was a prompt decision and an important decision and the right one," Fishwick said.
He added that Fishwick says the investigation sends a strong message to the public, which may give them more confidence in the Department of Justice and the FBI.
"They know exactly what they're doing. They will be very methodical but they will be very fair about it and ultimately, if charges are brought, the public will be able to see the transparency of that," Fishwick said.
There are more possible charges to come in the investigation, beyond James Alex Fields' murder charge, he said.
"And that could be whenever you're trying to intimidate the population. That's what domestic terrorism is and obviously there's a potential for investigation," Fishwick said.
The Justice Department is also investigating whether others may have been involved in planning the attack.