Trump administration for now will not name FBI agents on January 6 probes
World
Trump administration for now will not name FBI agents on January 6 probes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration agreed on Friday not to publicly name FBI employees involved in investigations into the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, striking a temporary deal with agents who sued over privacy and safety concerns.
The agreement, which a federal judge approved, prevents the administration from releasing the names until at least late March while lawsuits from two groups of FBI agents move forward.
If the administration decides at some point to disclose the names, it will be required to give the plaintiffs two days' notice, the agreement says.
"This is an important step in the right direction to protect those who protect us - FBI Agents who have dedicated their careers to upholding the rule of law and defending our country," said Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, in a statement.
The deal was struck after acting head of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, turned over to the Justice Department a list of FBI employees involved in January 6 investigations, according to an email seen by Reuters.
Emil Bove, a former defense lawyer for Trump who now holds a senior role at the Justice Department, had demanded the information from the FBI as part of what he described as an internal review of misconduct related to the Capitol riot probe, which led to nearly 1,600 criminal cases against Trump supporters.
The demand prompted days of internal resistance from Driscoll and the bureau and prompted two lawsuits from groups of anonymous FBI agents who said the move endangered their safety.
The dispute over the list has become a flashpoint as the FBI seeks to safeguard its independence during a push by the Trump administration to remove or sideline officials who have worked on investigations condemned by Trump.
Driscoll's resistance prompted Bove to accuse him of insubordination. A list the FBI turned over earlier this week identified agents only by their employee identification numbers, sources told Reuters.
The Justice Department also requested a list of agents involved in a US criminal case against leaders of the Hamas militant group.
Driscoll told FBI employees that the latest list, which includes agents' names, was turned over using a classified system and identified as "law enforcement sensitive" to protect employees' safety, according to the email.
The Justice Department, responding to the agents' lawsuits, has said it has no immediate plans to publicly name the employees included on the list. Bove has said agents who only followed orders on investigations would not be disciplined.
