In a shocking move that has sent waves of anxiety through the FBI, employees have been ordered to disclose any involvement in investigations related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. This directive comes amidst a growing purge within the agency, raising concerns about the independence of federal law enforcement.
On Sunday, FBI staff received a questionnaire demanding they outline their job titles, detail their roles in the Capitol riot investigations, and specify if they supervised any related cases. The memo, reviewed by Reuters, set a tight deadline—responses are due by 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
“I know myself and others receiving this questionnaire have a lot of questions and concerns, which I am working hard to get answers to,” wrote Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, in an internal email.
This directive follows the firing of eight senior FBI officials last Friday, including the heads of the Miami and Washington, D.C., field offices. The abrupt dismissals have sparked fears of more terminations, especially among those who played key roles in prosecuting individuals connected to the Capitol attack.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has further intensified the situation by demanding the FBI hand over a comprehensive list of employees involved in Jan. 6 cases, along with those working on a recent case against Hamas leaders. This demand, coupled with Bove’s recent firing of over a dozen Justice Department prosecutors involved in cases against former President Donald Trump, signals a dramatic shift in the agency’s operations.
On his first day back in office, President Trump pardoned individuals convicted for their roles in the Capitol attack, including those who violently assaulted law enforcement officers. Critics argue that the current actions represent a broader attempt to undermine investigations that held Trump and his supporters accountable.
Legal experts are already pushing back. Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney, warned in a letter to Bove that the firings and exposure of FBI employees’ identities could violate due process and endanger their safety. “If you proceed with terminations and/or public exposure of terminated employees’ identities, we stand ready to vindicate their rights through all available legal means,” Zaid wrote.
Despite growing fears, Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll reassured staff that no additional firings had been ordered beyond those specified in Bove’s memo. “I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director Robert Kissane,” Driscoll noted in an internal email, emphasizing solidarity with affected agents.
However, the atmosphere within the FBI remains tense. The FBI Agents Association and James Dennehy, Assistant FBI Director in New York, have tried to calm nerves, stating that no mass resignations have been requested. Yet, some employees began clearing out their desks on Friday, fearing they might be the next targets.
“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the FBI and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy,” Dennehy wrote. He praised Driscoll and Kissane for standing up for the agency, while stressing that no one outside the named individuals has been told to leave—at least for now.
As the deadline looms, all eyes are on how these developments will reshape the FBI and what it means for the future of law enforcement in the U.S.
