The work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has slowed down due to the “chaos” that ensued following the personnel changes and dismissals initiated by the new U.S. presidential administration, said According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, more than two dozen employees of the Justice Department and the FBI have already been fired, and the White House has begun compiling a list of thousands of people who may lose their jobs due to their involvement in the investigation into the 2021 Capitol riot.
On January 27, at least ten federal prosecutors, who had been working on investigations against Donald Trump, received notices of termination because the new leadership at the Department of Justice “cannot rely on them” to carry out the U.S. president’s plans. On Friday, January 31, Deputy Attorney General Émile Bove (who previously worked on Trump’s legal defense team) sent a letter to Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll stating that the bureau’s senior leaders must resign or be fired. He also asked the bureau to provide a list of those who worked on the investigation into the Capitol riot.
Thousands of FBI agents received a questionnaire asking them to answer 12 questions about their role in the investigation into the January 6, 2021, riots. On February 4, Driscoll reported that he had complied with the Justice Department’s request by providing data on more than 5,000 people. However, as the WSJ reports, the data included badge numbers but not names. This upset Bove, who subsequently demanded a list of all FBI employees, according to the WSJ. On February 4, a group of FBI agents filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice to prevent the disclosure of their names. They fear that Trump supporters will release a list of employees, putting agents and their families in danger.
The FBI Agents Association told the WSJ that some employees were so concerned about the layoffs that they had already packed up on their desks in anticipation of their resignation. The association sent a note to its members urging them not to resign and not to accept such proposals.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, "in this chaos, the work of the bureau has slowed down," and the daily briefing for senior FBI officials "has been reduced."
The new administration also sets new tasks for FBI employees, writes The Wall Street Journal. In particular, Bove ordered the counterterrorism task forces created after the September 11, 2001, attacks to join the investigation of immigration crimes. He softened that instruction after FBI officials told him that such a redeployment would distract agents from monitoring suspected terrorists.
One of the FBI agents investigating child exploitation crimes said that he was instructed to help in the investigation of immigration cases.
According to the WSJ, Trump's candidate for the post of FBI director, Cash Patel, will reduce the volume of counterintelligence and counterterrorism work of the bureau. During the Senate confirmation hearing, Patel mentioned China "only in passing" and did not mention any threat from Russia. One of Patel's aides believes that the future FBI director will transfer agents dealing with securities fraud and antitrust violations to investigate drug trafficking and street crimes.
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