Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Former prosecutor says DOJ ‘hemorrhaging credibility’ after firing those on Jan. 6 cases
Posted
January 6, 2026
Views
5,059
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January 6, 2026
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2:16Now PlayingBrendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor, said Tuesday the agency is “hemorrhaging credibility” after demoting or firing dozens of experienced prosecutors for handling cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“The only tool that the Department of Justice has is its credibility, the ability to convince people to accept its position, and it is rapidly losing that power,” he told House Democrats.
In a hearing that marked the fifth anniversary of the insurrection, Ballou said the DOJ’s demotions and firings meant the agency “simply lost the muscle memory” of experienced prosecutors.
When asked why he resigned, Ballou said it became clear that this administration “was so willing to fire people that opposed it, that there was very little point, as I saw it, in staying in government, and instead I would be most effective outside.”
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