Attorney General Loretta Lynch is directing the Justice Department to investigate if the recent rise in hate crimes is related to the 2016 presidential election.

"Many Americans are concerned by a spate of recent news reports about alleged hate crimes and harassment," Lynch said Friday in a video statement. "The FBI is assessing, in conjunction with federal prosecutors, whether particular incidents constitute violations of federal law.

"Some of these incidents have happened in schools. Others have targeted houses of worship, and some have singled out individuals for attacks and intimidation," Lynch added.

This week the FBI released statistics showing a 67 percent increase in hate crimes against Muslims from last year, citing "5,850 criminal incidents and 6,885 related offenses that were motivated by bias against race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender and gender identity."

"These numbers should be deeply sobering for all Americans," Lynch said of the report.

"We need you to continue to report these incidents to local law enforcement, as well as the Justice Department, so that our career investigators and prosecutors can take action to defend your rights," Lynch said.

"It's about making sure all Americans receive the protection of the law, and it's about giving real meaning to our shared belief that all people are created equal," she continued. "Put simply, this work is the right and just thing to do."

"I want the American people to know that as long as that work is necessary, the Department of Justice will continue to carry it forward," Lynch said.