Ex-J6 prosecutor issues dark warning after Trump DOJ's 'horrifying' move

A former federal prosecutor who spent two years prosecuting the cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection issued a dark warning about the Trump Department of Justice's latest "horrifying" move.

On Tuesday, the Trump DOJ announced it was moving to vacate the convictions of several high-ranking Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, two paramilitary groups aligned with President Donald Trump's MAGA movement that helped organize and participate in the insurrection. Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor, said on CNN's "The Lead" on Wednesday that the move would lead to more violence in the future.

"To see this asobviously horrifying, and Ithink it lays the foundation formore extreme acts," Ballou said. "Oneis the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers trying to sue thegovernment for monetary damages,which would be a great way forthe Trump administration toessentially fund paramilitaryand militia organizations thatare allied to him beyond the reach of the law."

"I think italso is part of a broader effortto rewrite the history ofJanuary 6th for a very specificreason, which is that if Donald Trump is able to get people toeither forget about January 6thor worse yet, condone January6th, then he knows he's going tobe able to convince people toaccept any attack on democracy," he continued. "So this isn't just about thepast, it's about the future."