“We are looking at all actors, not only the people who went into the building,” Michael Sherwin, the US attorney in Washington, said.

Mr Trump told supporters at a rally near the White House before the incident that they could never “take back our country with weakness”.

The protestors gathered to demonstrate against Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory and descended upon the Capitol.

Mr Sherwin said: “We’re looking at all actors. If the evidence fits the elements of a crime, they’re going to be charged.”

While a sitting president generally cannot be charged with a crime, Mr Trump’s protections will extinguish in in 12 days.

Mr Biden said his own nominee for next attorney general, Judge Merrick B. Garland, would need to restore the rule of law.

“There is no more important place for us to do this work than the Department of Justice that has been so politicised,” Mr Biden said.

“We need to restore the honour, the integrity, the independence of the Department of Justice in this nation that’s been so badly damaged.”