Acting Deputy Attorney General's Accusations
The second in command at the Justice Department accused FBI leadership of “insubordination” for failing to turn over the names of Washington, D.C.-based agents and employees who oversaw the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Standoff with FBI Leadership
In an email to the FBI workforce Wednesday, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said he asked “multiple times” last week for FBI leaders to “identify the core team” that handled the investigation, but the senior FBI officials would not do so.
Bove's Directive
“FBI acting leadership refused to comply,” Bove wrote bluntly in the email, shared with POLITICO by a person who received it and was granted anonymity to avoid potential retaliation.
Bove, who was appointed to DOJ leadership after working as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, said the standoff led him to demand that the bureau provide an even broader list of every FBI agent and employee who worked on a Jan. 6 matter. That list would include thousands of people across the country.
Implications of the Directive
“In light of acting leadership’s refusal to comply with the narrower request, the written directive was intended to obtain a complete data set that the Justice Department can reliably pare down to the core team that will be the focus of the weaponization review pursuant to the Executive Order,” Bove wrote, referencing a directive Trump issued to end what he claims is politicization of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Bureau-Wide Alarm
Bove’s bureau-wide demand for information caused significant alarm in the FBI workforce in recent days, with rumors spreading of mass firings and widespread discussions of refusing to comply. Some agents and employees, including the FBI Agents Association, also filed lawsuits seeking to block use of the list Bove demanded be turned over by noon on Feb. 4.
Reassurance from Bove
In his message Wednesday, Bove sought to provide reassurance that the administration has no intent of punishing rank-and-file agents who simply carried out their duties as assigned.
Consequences and Uncertainty
Bove did not specify any consequences for the FBI leadership he accused of “insubordination.” Shortly after taking office, Trump named Brian Driscoll, the head of the FBI’s Newark office, as the law enforcement agency’s acting director.
However, FBI officials said they had expected Driscoll to be named as the bureau’s acting No. 2 official. The White House hasn’t commented on the apparent mix-up. The president also has the authority to replace Driscoll, if he chooses to.
Response from FBI
A spokesperson for the FBI referred a request for comment on Bove’s memo to Justice Department spokespeople, who did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.