From PBS NewsHour.

Brendan 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.”

Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.

Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG

Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour