By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-02-01 08:26:45 | Updated at 2025-02-01 11:52:30
3 hours ago
The Justice Department has moved to fire a swathe of senior FBI leaders and began a massive probe into agents who helped investigate the 2021 Capitol riot, beginning to reshape the US’ pre-eminent law enforcement agency under President Donald Trump.
Senior officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation based in Washington who oversee agency branches and top agents leading field offices across the country were leaving their jobs, according to people familiar with the moves. Some leaders were pressured to leave the agency, with some choosing to retire, while others resisted and faced being fired, according to some of the people.
Among the departures are a senior official in Miami and one in Washington, offices that were part of the investigations into President Donald Trump’s conduct following his 2020 election loss, said some of the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal matters.
After news of firings and retirements dribbled out for hours in press reports on Friday, Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll addressed the tumult in an email to all FBI employees. He told the agency’s rank-and-file that earlier in the day the deputy attorney general had told him eight senior FBI executives were to be fired by specific dates if they did not retire first, according to a copy of the message seen by Bloomberg News.
Driscoll added that the FBI was told to turn over by Tuesday a list of all current and former FBI staff who worked on investigations or prosecutions related to the Capitol riot. Driscoll said the request covered thousands of FBI employees around the country, including him.
“We are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people – always,” he wrote, adding that he will follow up when he has more information.
