'Lawless' felons pardoned by Trump could unleash wave of 'vigilante violence': ex-prosecutor

25 January

Just hours into his second term, President Donald Trump issued a wave of pardons to roughly 1,500 people charged and/or convicted in relation to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, a former federal prosecutor is pointing out that many of those pardoned were members of far-right paramilitary organizations that endorse political violence.

In a Saturday segment on MSNBC's "Velshi," former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade lamented that the actions of insurrectionists who assaulted police officers are being forgiven and celebrated by the 47th president of the United States. She also reminded viewers that Trump didn't rule out political appointments for January 6 rioters.

"They are lawless and completely dangerous. And now we have Donald Trump not only issuing pardons to say they shouldn't be punished, but suggesting there might be a place for them in his administration. This is acting outside of the law," McQuade said. "The president has federal law enforcement. The president has the military. Why does he need private paramilitary organizations?"

Some of the rioters Trump pardoned were serving lengthy prison sentences for seditious conspiracy against the United States – the most serious charge handed down by the Department of Justice. Far-right Proud Boys gang leader Enrique Tarrio was freed despite being sentenced to 22 years, and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes had his 18-year sentence abruptly put to bed after Trump freed him.

McQuade pointed out that after Trump told Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" during a 2020 debate with then-candidate Joe Biden, the group successfully used that remark as a recruiting tool. She worried that some could interpret the pardons as a green light to carry out violence against Trump's enemies with impunity.

"Once again, we're going to see that same kind of thing that we are the favored group," she said. "These are groups that engage in vigilante violence. They are not acting according to the rule of law."

Just one day after he was pardoned, January 6 participant Daniel Ball was arrested on federal gun charges. Ball was prosecuted by the DOJ for numerous crimes including "assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon; using fire or an explosive to commit any felony; obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder; entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority to do so while carrying or using a deadly or dangerous weapon; knowingly engaging in any act of physical violence while carrying or using a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds while carrying or using a deadly or dangerous weapon; and misdemeanor offenses of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings and stealing government property."

Watch the video of McQuade's comments below, or by clicking this link.

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