top of page

Welcome to Crime and Justice News

FBI Agents Sue DOJ Over Trump Investigation Employee List

Crime and Justice News

FBI agents sued the Justice Department to stop it from releasing a list of employees who participated in investigations of President Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying they feared retribution if their identities become public. Two lawsuits, filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., came after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove demanded that the FBI compile a list of everyone who worked on those cases, stirring fear within the bureau of potential mass firings. Thousands of agents, analysts and other employees participated in the Capitol riot probe, one of the largest in Justice Department history, reports the Wall Street Journal. The anonymous agents said they feared they would be fired and the list would be “leaked or published to make them targets for the convicted felons who were recently pardoned, or any number of other bad actors seeking revenge,” according to one lawsuit, which cited Trump’s pledge on the campaign trail to seek retribution against perceived enemies in law enforcement.


The other lawsuit included a social media post from Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys whom Trump pardoned last month, calling for the arrest of an FBI agent who had testified against him. Bove’s memo demanding the list—which also ordered the firings of eight senior FBI officials—further agitated FBI employees already on edge as they await Senate confirmation of Kash Patel, who has promised sweeping changes to the bureau’s priorities and the way it operates. A 12-question survey that landed in employees’ inboxes last weekend asked them about their participation in the Jan. 6 and Trump probes, causing further alarm. Responding to the request, the FBI turned over personnel details of about 5,000 employees but identified them only by a code and not by name. A Justice Department official said Tuesday that “there is no targeting of rank and file FBI agents,” but declined to elaborate on plans for the list. The bureau provided titles, offices to which the listed employees are assigned and their roles in the investigation, acting FBI head Brian Driscoll said in an email to employees.  “I understand that our response continues to be a cause for concern and confusion among the thousands of employees on the lists, and thousands more concerned for the wellbeing of our FBI family,” Driscoll wrote. “We are extremely sensitive to protecting the personal safety and security of our personnel.”




38 views

Recent Posts

See All

Commentaires


A daily report co-sponsored by Arizona State University, Criminal Justice Journalists, and the National Criminal Justice Association

bottom of page