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 as obviously horrifying, and I think it lays the foundation for more extreme acts," Ballou said. "One is the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers trying to sue the government for monetary damages, which would be a great way for the Trump administration to essentially fund paramilitary and militia organizations that are allied to him beyond the reach of the law."

"I think it also is part of a broader effort to rewrite the history of January 6th for a very specific reason, which is that if Donald Trump is able to get people to either forget about January 6th or worse yet, condone January 6th, then he knows he's going to be able to convince people to accept any attack on democracy," he continued. "So this isn't just about the past, it's about the future."