Top FBI Agent Warns Staff: We’re in a ‘Battle’ After Trump’s Purge
James E. Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, reportedly told staff in an email that they’re in the midst of a “battle” as the Trump administration carries out a purge of the agents who investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy,” Dennehy wrote in the email according to The New York Times, which was first to report the news Sunday.
The top agent served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for seven years before joining the FBI. He subsequently joined the agency in 2002 as a special agent before working his way up to his current spot, which sees him running one of the most important field offices in the bureau.
A representative for Dennehy in New York declined to comment on the email to The Times.
On Friday, the Justice Department ordered the termination of a handful of high-ranking FBI officials attached to the Jan. 6 investigation and also requested the names of bureau personnel assigned to related cases for an internal review.
In his email, Dennehy stated that these actions have spread “fear and angst within the FBI ranks,” with at least nine top agents at the FBI being fired since President Donald Trump assumed office, per the Times.
A questionnaire has also been sent out to bureau employees requesting they describe what role they had in Jan. 6 investigations and prosecutions, including collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses—standard FBI protocol. Staff reportedly have until 3 p.m. Monday to complete the forms.
Dennehy offered support to his staff in his email, reminding them to stay calm and to avoid making any rushed decisions about their careers. He also added that he would provide assistance regardless of circumstance and that he has no plans of stepping down.
“Time for me to dig in,” Dennehy wrote.
The number of employees affected by this purge could reach 6,000, which makes up about a sixth of the FBI’s 38,000 employees, according to the Times.
Over the past few years, Trump has repeatedly criticized the FBI and claimed that they were used against him by former President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
The present took particular offense to how the FBI conducted an unannounced raid at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 in connection with his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
In a similar series of events, the president also cleaned out the Justice Department last week through a series of resignations and reassignments.
