FBI Agents Association Urges Congress to Protect Jobs Amid Feared Purge

The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), which represents more than 14,000 current and former FBI agents, implored Congress to protect agency personnel at risk of being fired over their involvement in investigations related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via email on Monday.

Why It Matters

The letter from the FBIAA comes days after the DOJ fired dozens of federal prosecutors who worked on the sprawling January 6 investigation, which was the largest in department history and resulted in hundreds of convictions and guilty pleas. President Donald Trump later pardoned roughly 1,500 people convicted in the deadly siege.

The FBIAA’s letter also comes after the Justice Department instructed thousands of FBI employees over the weekend to fill out detailed questionnaires about the nature of their work on the Capitol riot probe, prompting concerns that the Trump administration could fire thousands of additional agency personnel.

What To Know

According to AP, the letter was addressed to Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the chairs and ranking members on the House and Senate judiciary committees.

The FBIAA has “urgent concerns about recent actions taken by acting officials at the Department of Justice that threaten the careers of thousands of FBI Special Agents and risk disrupting the Bureau’s essential work,” the letter said.

“Put simply, Special Agents who risk their lives protecting this country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized for carrying out the orders they were given by their superiors in the FBI,” it added, according to AP. “These actions, which lack transparency and due process, are creating dangerous distractions, imperiling ongoing investigations, and undermining the Bureau’s ability to work with state, local, and international partners to make America safe again.”

Separately, several Democratic senators sent letters expressing concerns about Trump’s “mass purging” to Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general; Kash Patel, Trump’s selection for FBI director; Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick for deputy attorney general; acting attorney general James McHenry; and acting FBI head Brian Driscoll.

“We have grave concerns about the removal or reassignment across the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of senior career civil servants who have served honorably under multiple administrations, regardless of the President’s party,” wrote Senators Dick Durbin, Adam Schiff, Alex Padilla and all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats.

The letters continued: “The removals and reassignments from their positions of a significant number of experienced, nonpartisan Department officials with invaluable national security expertise without any comparable replacements one day into the second Trump Administration presents an alarming threat to national security.”

The letters also referenced the FBIAA’s previous warning that dismissing “hundreds of Agents would severely weaken the Bureau’s ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats,” which could set the agency up “for failure.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats asked the FBI and DOJ officials—and nominees—for more information related to the removal of agency personnel.

The DOJ isn’t the only agency that’s seen sweeping changes since Trump took office. The Department of Government Efficiency, led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has also entrenched its officials into the U.S. Treasury, the General Services Administration, the Office of Personnel Management and the Small Business Administration.

Among other measures, Musk’s team has sought and successfully gained access to sensitive payment systems that control the flow of trillions of dollars in federal disbursements for Medicare, Social Security, tax refunds, grants and more.

Musk’s team, which includes several recent college graduates with no government experience, also hamstrung the U.S. Agency for International Development and the SpaceX CEO said Monday he is working to shut down the agency “beyond repair.” The agency is congressionally authorized and cannot be shuttered without approval from Congress.

What People Are Saying

According to AP, the FBIAA’s letter asked Congress to: “[W]ork with President Trump to prevent acting officials from taking personnel actions that undermine our shared goal of keeping the FBI out of politics. It is imperative that FBI Special Agents can continue their critical work, free from fear of retaliation, and focused on safeguarding our nation.”

Senate Democrats wrote in their letter to Trump’s nominees and acting officials: “Retaliating against these career public servants who were simply doing the work assigned to them is outrageous and unacceptable.”

What Happens Next

The questionnaires distributed to FBI personnel regarding their involvement in the Capitol attack investigation are due to be submitted through supervisors by Tuesday afternoon, according to CBS News.