The Trump administration has removed dozens of Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI officials and is eyeing firing perhaps thousands more in an unprecedented purge that may just be getting started.
Trump critics feared he would use the two agencies to carry out retribution against his perceived political enemies.
Some of the first actions from the new leadership at the FBI and DOJ have targeted those who worked on President Trump’s two criminal prosecutions as well as agents and lawyers involved in charging the 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, who have since been pardoned by the president.
James Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said the agency was in a battle of its own.
“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,” he said in an email reported by The New York Times.
The Trump administration on Friday forced out the five highest career positions at the FBI along with the heads of numerous field offices, including the leader in Washington, D.C.