"Building a private army" - Democrats warn of Trump's plans for mass pardons

"Building a private army" - Democrats warn of Trump's plans for mass pardons FOCUS Online • 2 hours • 1 minute reading time Democrats warn that Trump is building a dangerous private army with pardoned Capitol stormers. US President Donald Trump pardoned around 1,500 people who were convicted of their involvement in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. According to "Newsweek", the Democrats are therefore alarmed and are warning of the consequences. Californian MP Robert Garcia claims that Trump is building a "private army" of these people. Garcia also emphasized that this sends a dangerous signal to extremist groups and that these pardons could further threaten democracy. Concerns about the FBI In addition to the controversial pardons, there are also concerns about the future of the FBI agents who investigated the Capitol storming. Newsweek reports that a senior Justice Department official, Emil Bove, has called for the dismissal or retirement of several FBI officials. These officials were involved in the investigation into the rioters. Garcia sees this as an attempt to obstruct the work of law enforcement and protect Trump's supporters. According to Garcia, these measures could seriously endanger the country's security. Trump defended his decision to pardon and said that the convicted people had been treated unfairly. "These people have spent years in prison. Their lives have been ruined," Trump said. The Democrats announced that they would take measures to prevent the possible dismissals of the FBI agents.