FBI employees were ordered on Sunday to complete a questionnaire regarding any involvement they had in investigations related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The directive, detailed in an internal memo seen by Reuters, has sparked concerns about potential firings within the agency.
The questionnaire asks employees to disclose their job title, their role in any Jan. 6 investigations, and whether they held a supervisory position in those cases. Responses are due by Monday at 3 p.m. ET, according to an email from Chad Yarbrough, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
“I know myself and others receiving this questionnaire have a lot of questions and concerns, which I am working hard to get answers to,” Yarbrough wrote in the email, which was obtained by Reuters.
The FBI has not officially commented on the questionnaire, but critics, including Democratic lawmakers, argue that former President Donald Trump’s administration is conducting a purge of officials who played a role in prosecuting the Capitol rioters and Trump-related cases.
This move follows a series of high-profile dismissals. On Friday, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the termination of eight senior FBI officials, including the heads of the Miami and Washington, D.C., field offices. He also directed the FBI to submit a list of all employees who worked on Jan. 6 investigations, as well as those involved in a Hamas-related criminal case from last year. The deadline for that list is Tuesday at noon ET.
Additionally, Bove previously dismissed over a dozen career Justice Department prosecutors involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s cases against Trump. Those cases—one regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the other concerning classified documents—were dropped after Trump’s return to office.
National security attorney Mark Zaid condemned Bove’s actions in a letter, arguing they violate due process and could endanger the safety of FBI employees. “If you proceed with terminations and/or public exposure of terminated employees’ identities, we stand ready to vindicate their rights through all available legal means,” Zaid wrote.
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll acknowledged the situation in an internal email, stating that the personnel review “encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts.” Driscoll and Acting Deputy Director Robert Kissane are among those subject to the review.
Despite growing concerns, an internal email from the FBI Agents Association and James Dennehy, the assistant FBI director in charge of the New York office, assured employees that no additional firings had been announced. However, some employees have reportedly begun clearing out their desks in anticipation.
“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the FBI and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy,” Dennehy wrote.
He emphasized that apart from the individuals named in Bove’s memo, “NO ONE has been told they are being removed at this time.”
