“The fact that there is a search warrant suggests there is suspicion on the government’s part, or maybe some evidence, that a crime has occurred,” he said.

Rosenstein said the goal of a federal investigation like this would be to determine what caused the bridge-strike and whether there is any “criminal liability,” be it on the part of the crew, the companies that own and manage the ship, or others, such as a fuel supplier.

That distinguishes an FBI-led probe from an NTSB investigation, which also seeks to find out what went wrong but with the goal of preventing such a tragedy from occurring again — not to hold someone or some entity accountable. The NTSB identifies the probable cause for an accident and provides non-binding safety recommendations for officials and companies.

“We do not conduct criminal investigations,” NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Gabris said in an email.

Gabris pointed to two deadly accidents where criminal investigators worked alongside NTSB investigators and brought criminal charges, one in state court and the other in federal court.

Officials in Maryland and President Joe Biden’s administration have pledged to hold accountable anyone who played a role in the bridge collapse, if investigations support such action.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek Barron said in a statement Monday that his office does not confirm investigations.

“However, the public should know, whether it’s gun violence, civil rights abuse, financial fraud, or any other threat to public safety or property, we will seek accountability for anyone who may be responsible,” Barron said.

Following a separate news conference Monday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown predicted that his office would pursue legal action against “multiple defendants” that contributed to the bridge collapse.

“As chief legal officer of the state, my responsibility is to file actions to protect the interests of the state, to recover for that damage,” said Brown, who is a Democrat. “So whether it’s the ship owner or others, that’s what we’re currently doing. We’re looking at it, we’re investigating, and when the time is right, we’ll bring a legal action so we can maximize the recovery.”

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