Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll on Friday refused a Justice Department order that he assist in the firing of agents involved in Jan. 6 riot cases, pushing back so forcefully that some FBI officials feared he would be dismissed, multiple current and former FBI officials told NBC News.
The Justice Department ultimately did not dismiss Driscoll, the head of the bureau’s Newark field office who is temporarily serving as its acting director.
The Senate is currently considering whether Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick for FBI director, should be confirmed. A longtime critic of the bureau’s investigations of Trump and Jan. 6th rioters, Patel promised Senators at his confirmation hearing that no FBI officials would be retaliated against.
“All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” Patel said under oath on Thursday.
Just over 24 hours later, Driscoll notified the FBI workforce that he had been ordered to remove eight senior FBI executives by Emil Bove, the acting Deputy Attorney General and Trump’s former personal defense lawyer.
Driscoll also said he had been told to turn over the names of every FBI employee involved in investigating Jan. 6 rioters.