Brian Driscoll, the acting FBI Director, strongly refused a Department of Justice order to aid in the firing of agents involved in Jan. 6 protest cases, NBC News reported on Saturday.
On Friday, the DOJ fired eight prosecutors who were assigned to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The DOJ also ordered that all FBI agents who were assigned to the Jan. 6 protest undergo review.
According to a memo reviewed by the outlet, the administration said the employment of the individuals "hindered the ability" of the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., to "faithfully implement the agenda that the American people elected President [Donald] Trump to execute."
Driscoll reportedly sent out a memo Friday evening letting staff know that he was ordered to remove the FBI executives and turn over the names of every FBI employee involved in Capitol riot cases. Driscoll did not clarify whether he would turn over the full list of Jan. 6-related names — a list that he noted encompasses thousands of FBI employees, including himself.
An FBI agent summarized what happened to the outlet as "[b]ottom line, DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F*** off."
"As we've said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, 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," Driscoll, a former member of the FBI's elite hostage rescue team, wrote in his staff memo.
President Donald Trump has been open about his intentions to overhaul the FBI. Kash Patel, whom Trump picked in December to lead the agency, had a lively hearing this week on Capitol Hill. Patel insisted to deeply skeptical Democrats on Thursday that he did not have an "enemies list" and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president's adversaries or launch investigations for political purposes.
"I have no interest, no desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards," Patel said at the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, at which support for the nominee broke along starkly partisan lines. "There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken."
Patel, who has served as the defense secretary's chief of staff and senior adviser to the National Security Council, was chosen for his stated goals of reforming the bureau following years of eroding public trust. In 2023, NBC News cited a poll that found the public's positive view of the FBI has eroded 15% since 2018.
The FBI and the Justice Department declined to comment to the outlet. A senior FBI official disputed the accounts of the current and former officials, saying, "It’s not true." A former FBI official who knows Driscoll well said, "He pushed back hard."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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