On the same day he was sworn into office for the second time, President Donald Trump issued pardons for roughly 1,500 people who were charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including some indicted for assaulting police officers.

The sweeping order granted “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.” This unprecedented action has also effectively overturned sentences for 14 far-right extremists, including Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, and Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, both of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges.

In a live interview with our own Katie Couric, leading conservative analyst and commentator Bill Kristol expressed grave concern over the decision, warning it could set a dangerous precedent and embolden future political violence.

“These are leaders of truly dangerous extremist groups. Now they’re free — free to organize, free to conduct vigilante actions, I suppose, on behalf of Trump, and free to prepare for the next Jan. 6,” Kristol said.

Kristol, co-founder of The Bulwark, a conservative and anti-Trump news website, added, “And the message everyone’s gotten, incidentally, is that if you’re out there in the country engaging in vigilantism on behalf of Trump, you’re in good shape.”

Trump, however, frames his actions as the fulfillment of a campaign promise to grant executive clemency to individuals he has labeled as “patriots” and “hostages.” He argued that these individuals were treated unfairly by the Justice Department and described his decision as an effort to end “a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years.”

This move aligns with his broader strategy to redefine the narrative surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection — a tactic that Kristol likens to those employed by authoritarian regimes.

“This is what authoritarians have done through the ages, pardoning your violent supporters and having them on hand to help out if needed and to intimidate others,” he told Katie. “It is way beyond the law, it’s way beyond the normal presidency.”

For more insights into what Trump’s second term might entail and what it all means, watch Katie’s full interview with Kristol in the video above.