Acting FBI Director Refuses to Fire Agents Involved in Jan. 6 Riot Cases
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll refused a Justice Department order to assist in the firing of agents involved in January 6 riot cases, prompting concerns among FBI officials that he could be dismissed. Driscoll, the head of the bureau’s Newark field office, has been serving as acting director temporarily.
According to current and former FBI officials, Driscoll received an order from Justice Department Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to remove eight senior FBI executives by specific dates. Driscoll was also directed to provide a list of every FBI employee involved in investigating the January 6 rioters.
Driscoll notified the FBI workforce of the order and promised to follow the law and existing FBI policies. In a message that circulated among bureau personnel, an FBI agent summarized the situation, stating: “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F— Off.”
It is unclear whether anyone other than the eight senior FBI executives has been separated from the bureau. Top Trump administration officials have made it clear that they want to fire at least some of the FBI agents who pursued January 6 cases, just as multiple Department of Justice prosecutors involved in the cases were fired.
Driscoll’s actions have been praised by FBI agents, who see him as trying to do right by the workforce. “He was trying to do right by the workforce,” said a person familiar with the thinking of agents. “He’s putting it in writing and naming names.”
The firings have been met with legal challenges, with experts saying that few, if any, of the firings have been legal under civil service laws. Legal experts argue that the Trump administration has ignored controlling law and regulations to carry out the firings, which is illegal.
The purge at the FBI has had a shattering effect on morale, sending a message that agents who work on cases that anger someone in the Trump administration could be targeted. “Who right now would want to work on a case that would get them crosswise with the administration?” asked a former FBI official. “They will come after you.”
