DOJ Capitol Siege Section head quits, says Jan. 6 pardons sent "terrible message"

The national authoritative who helped pb the largest national transgression lawsuit successful American past has resigned his presumption successful the Justice Department.  

Longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Rosen, the main of the Justice Department's Capitol Siege Section, has departed for a station with a backstage instrumentality firm.    

In an interrogation with CBS News, Rosen said President Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters proceed to daze and alarm the national investigators who handled the cases.      

"The connection that [the pardons] nonstop is that governmental unit towards a governmental extremity is acceptable successful a modern antiauthoritarian society," Rosen said. "That, from my perspective, is anathema to a law republic."

Rosen helped oversee a squad of Justice Department attorneys arsenic the bureau grappled with an historically ample onslaught of transgression cases aft the Capitol riot, which injured dozens of constabulary officers and caused millions of dollars successful harm to the Capitol complex. 

He said the president's determination to pardon each — not conscionable immoderate — of the Capitol riot defendants was a stunning determination that has caused damage.    

"It sends a unspeakable connection to the American people," Rosen said. "Individuals who were duly — and appropriately — convicted of national crimes ranging successful culpability are instantly fto escaped without immoderate supervision, without immoderate remorse, without immoderate rehabilitation to civilian society."

Rosen handled a scope of transgression cases during his tenure astatine the U.S. Attorney's Office of the District of Columbia, 1 of the largest and astir almighty of the national prosecutors' offices successful the nation. In summation to cause and weapon crimes, Rosen took connected work for the conception handling Jan. 6 cases. He was a pb authoritative successful the lawsuit of Leo Kelly, an Iowa antheral who was convicted astatine proceedings successful May 2023.

He took enactment of the Justice Department's singular occurrence complaint successful Jan. 6 trials, securing partial oregon afloat convictions successful 100% of assemblage trials. Rosen blasted disapproval from Trump supporters who allege the juries were biased oregon the prosecutions were politicized. 

"The crushed those juries convicted — and the crushed those judges convicted individuals — was not due to the fact that of immoderate bug successful the owed process," Rosen said. "It was due to the fact that the grounds was overwhelming. It was the astir videotaped transgression successful American history."

Soon aft Mr. Trump's Inauguration-Day pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants, Justice Department officials demoted oregon fired immoderate of the prosecutors who handled the Jan. 6 prosecutions and disbanded the Capitol Siege Section. Critics person accused the medication of seeking vengeance oregon revenge, targeting attorneys with coagulated way records.      

"To spot those talented prosecutors beryllium marginalized oregon removed from bureau is an affront to the independency of the department," Rosen said.

The Justice Department and the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Rosen volition soon beryllium starting his caller occupation arsenic lawyer astatine the Rogers, Joseph O'Donnell instrumentality steadfast successful Washington, D.C. He told CBS News, "I felt similar it was clip for a alteration — and a clip to instrumentality what I've been doing and what I've learned implicit the people of 15 years successful authorities and national signifier — and bring it to the backstage sector, wherever I tin payment clients who are being scrutinized by the government." 

• United States Department of Justice