FBI agents “who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner” while investigating the Jan 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are not at risk of being fired, a top Justice Department official said Wednesday in a memo to the bureau workforce obtained by The Associated Press.
But the memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove also provides no reassurances for any agents found to have “acted with corrupt or partisan intent" and suggests those employees, if there any, have reason to be concerned about a highly unusual review process the Trump administration Justice Department is embarking upon to identify what it says is potential misconduct.
The message from Bove, which also accuses acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll of “insubordination,” is aimed at providing a measure of clarity following days of turmoil and uncertainty inside the bureau as a result of an extraordinary Justice Department demand on Friday for the names of agents who participated in the investigations so that officials could determine whether additional personnel action was merited.
Many within the FBI had seen that request as a precursor for mass firings particularly in light of separate moves to fire members of special counsel Jack Smith's team that investigated Donald Trump, reassign senior career Justice Department officials and force out prosecutors on Jan. 6 cases and multiple top FBI executives.
Trump and his Republican allies have long accused the Biden administration Justice Department of being “weaponized” against conservatives. They have focused particular ire on prosecutions arising from the Capitol attack on Jan 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in a failed effort to halt the certification of the 2020 election after the Republican then-president lost to Democrat Joe Biden. On the first day of Trump's second term, he granted sweeping clemency — through pardons and sentence commutations — to more than 1,500 of the rioters who were charged.
Adding to the angst was that thousands of FBI employees who participated in investigations related to Jan. 6 were asked over the weekend to complete in-depth questionnaires about their involvement in the inquiries as the new Trump administration Justice Department weighs disciplinary actions.
FBI employees filed two lawsuits Tuesday to halt the collection and potential dissemination of names of investigators.
Bove, in his memo on Wednesday, accused Driscoll, the FBI's acting chief, of “insubordination” for resisting his request “to identify the core team” responsible for Jan 6 investigations. After Driscoll refused to comply, Bove wrote, he broadened the request for information about all FBI employees who participated in the investigations.
Driscoll had no response to the insubordination allegation, the FBI said.
The scrutiny of career FBI agents is highly unusual given that rank-and-file agents do not select the cases they are assigned to work on and are not generally disciplined because of their participation in matters seen as politically sensitive. There’s also been no evidence any FBI agents or lawyers who investigated or prosecuted the cases engaged in misconduct.
“Let me be clear," wrote Bove, who was previously part of Trump’s legal team in his criminal cases. “No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties."
But, he added, "The only individuals who should be concerned about the process initiated by my January 31, 2025 memo are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI.”
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
19 Comments
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I'veSeenFootage
As believable as the infamous "People who attacked cops will absolutely not be pardoned!" that the right repeated before Trump set all those criminals loose on the US again.
sakurasuki
Won't be fired but can be transferred to a new position such as clerical job in windowless basement building.
bass4funk
Attacking and killing are two different things
They won’t do anything to you, but they do have the right to protest and by the way, those agents are not out of the woods yet, there will be a thorough investigation and by The new DOJ and we shall see where the facts lead.
stormcrow
This whole thing is very strange.
January 6th was one of the worst crimes in U.S. history. A mob under the direction of a sitting president tried to upend the government and reverse the results of a fair and free election. The police were mauled by a violent mob and some of the mob were punished with jail and prison sentences. Now, the worst members of that mob are being rewarded with pardons and the police are being ignored for doing their jobs. Meanwhile, the same president who inspired to mob to commit violence is pardoning them and trying to whitewash history. Really shocking.
patkim
Attacking is assault. Assault, as far as I know, is a crime, even if the other person is not seriously injured. People have gone to jail for assaulting someone. This is the problem with MAGA. They think as long as someone doesn't die, it's alright to attack someone with no repercussions. No, I think someone who attacks you still needs to be punished.
I'veSeenFootage
So attacking police officers is now OK for the party of "law and order". Great justification.
To me personally, no, but elected officials (republican AND democrat) have a good reason to fear for their lives.
Probably where the Hunter Biden investigation lead (-absolutely nowhere except some pics of his junk).
Yrral
Bass4,the DOJ do not operate in a vacuum,with some kind of supervision from a Judge,Judges empanel grand juries and grand juries can indict Trump on their own without the DOJ Google Who Empanel Federal Grand Jury
Ken
Exactly, what Trump is doing shouldn't be legal. Musk or whoever whispering in his ear are trying to set it up so he can be invincible. The world doesn't work like that, Hold him accountable now before he makes it legal for him to have a hitmen squad to take out other people who are telling him what he shouldn't do
Yrral
Bass4,a lawyer can go before a Judge and stop a DOJ investigation by claiming Vindictive Prosecution
lincolnman
Was this a "Trump-appointed" official?
Because if it was, when their mouth moves, expect nothing but lies...
Yrral
I think grand juries should go rogue and use their legal authority to prosecute MAGA
Blacklabel
why would he?
this is obviously what (and who) needs to be removed.
patkim
Trump just wants to justify his pardoning of people who assaulted, killed, destroyed property, stole things, and tried to go against the constitution and laws themselves, as a way to stand up to those who "weaponized" the FBI. He just wants to seemingly sweep what happened on that day, under the rug. No, it happened. We all know it happened and it was wrong. But that is what the Trump-led GOP is now. They will use violence to know ends to get what they want. Was there a violent insurrection at the Capitol when Trump was elected? No. Both times. But when Trump wasn't elected, there was. Speaks volumes.
Underworld
Blacklabel
provides no reassurances for any agents found to have “acted with corrupt or partisan intent"
It's highly unlikely that any agent “acted with corrupt or partisan intent".
So, nobody will be removed.
Yrral
Blacklabel,these people work under supervision by Judicial means, they get a search warrant without the DOJ,I hope some get a warrant against Trump for criminal investigation
TaiwanIsNotChina
They already fired the prosecutors so they have no credibility.
Yrral
They need to Empanel a grand jury for Musk,
geronimo2006
I'm quite sure they will be fired at some point if they don't pass the loyalty test. Trump will get rid of anyone he doesn't want and replace them with MAGA faithful idiots. He is doing this across the US government under the guise of efficiency without hinderance from congress. He will take over law enforcement, national security and the judiciary. Then he will no doubt go after his opponents.
Wasabi
The others who dare protecting the country against trump will be fire? Welcome to the new Russia!
KnightsOfCydonia
Concerning times indeed when the arms of government are purged of anyone not sufficiently loyal to the current administration.
Loyalists can dismiss this as simply ensuring the mandate can be maintained but it also sets a precedent for ensuring absolute power is concentrated with no mechanisms to intervene (this may explain the increased defenses around the white house).
Your allies are justifiably worried.
bass4funk
I never said that, I hope you feel the same about the thousands of thugs that beat and injured 6000 police officers during the 2020 summer riots (since you are supposedly) a law and order guy.
Same here, but If they didn't do anything then they have nothing to worry about.
Funny, not what the FBI said, later, they got caught lying, first saying the Hunter laptop was a hoax, then they said, it existed...oopps!