Democratic Representative Robert Garcia has accused President
Donald Trump of "building himself a private army" by pardoning January 6 protesters. The California politician made the comments in an interview with
MSNBC about Trump's administration reportedly
ordering the dismissal of several prosecutors who were hired to work on cases against individuals charged over the U.S. Capitol riot.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, via email, and the
Department of Justice , via online contact form, for comment.
Why It Matters
While
Democrats have long accused their opponent of being "authoritarian," these types of tags have
ramped up amid alleged plans to "purge" FBI agents who worked on the federal investigation into January 6.
What To Know
In a memo obtained by
The Washington Post, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sought to have several senior
FBI executives retire or be fired by Monday. Bove requested the names of all FBI agents assigned to investigate or prosecute January 6 cases—a list that could include thousands—in what is believed to be a step toward terminating them as well. It comes after Trump ordered—on his first day back in office—full, complete and unconditional" presidential
pardons for around 1,500 people convicted in connection with the 2021 attack on the Capitol. Garcia said Trump is "building himself a private army and militia of people across the country that are willing to do whatever it is that Donald Trump says." This came after the California congressman called the alleged FBI purge a "huge danger." He said: "We had a group of militia, of insurrectionists, trying to overthrow the government. Let's not forget what actually happened. They attacked our United States Capitol. They attacked police officers. They tried to change an election that was won fair and square, and they were sent to do so by Donald Trump. Now he wants to essentially silence and punish anyone who was involved in holding these people accountable. "And I think the other piece of this that people aren't talking about is what Donald Trump is also doing is he is signaling to all of these folks across the country, very dangerous people, by the way, that now have been pardoned, and there are other militia groups, that he is going to protect them." Garcia, who has long been a critic of Trump, added: "And I think we've got to take this very seriously and know that what he is doing is damaging and harming our national security infrastructure while building his own and supporting those militia, those white nationalist groups that are supporting him across the country. It's really dangerous."
What People Are Saying
Trump said during a press conference after he took office: "They've served years in jail. They should not have served. Murderers don't even go to jail in this country. We commuted about [14] of them because it looks like they could have done things that were not acceptable for a full pardon. But these people have served years in jail, and their lives have been ruined." The president called the rioters "patriots" and "hostages" and claimed they were unfairly treated by the Justice Department. He said the pardons would end "a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years" and begin "a process of national reconciliation."
Attorney James Lee Bright ,
whose client received an 18-year prison sentence over the riot, said : "We are deeply thankful for President Trump for his actions."
Democrats have vowed to prevent the "purge" of federal law enforcement officials. It remains to be seen if several FBI officials will resign, retire, or be fired on Monday as ordered.
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