FBI mass exodus is latest shake-up at Trump’s Justice Department
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US President Trump’s nominee to be director of the FBI Kash Patel testifying before a Senate confirmation hearing on Jan 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – A broad swathe of senior leaders and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents left the agency on Jan 31 – marking one of the biggest shake-ups in years at the pre-eminent US law enforcement agency.
Senior FBI officials based in Washington who oversee agency branches and top agents leading field offices across the country were leaving their jobs, according to people familiar with the moves.
Some leaders were pressured to leave the agency, with some choosing to retire, while others resisted and faced being fired, according to some of the people.
Among the departures were two senior officials of field offices in Miami and Washington that were part of the investigations into US President Donald Trump’s conduct following his 2020 election loss, said some of the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal matters.
FBI leaders also told staff on Jan 31 that some agents will be reassigned to assist in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations to arrest and deport people who were in the country illegally, said one of the people.
They were told the focus would be on violent criminals.
The FBI and the Justice Department (DOJ) declined to comment.
Moves to reshape DOJ
The Trump administration has been rapidly moving to reshape the DOJ, which includes the FBI, since the President’s return to the White House.
Acting Attorney-General James McHenry notified dozens of FBI officials this week that they did not have the administration’s confidence to carry out the President’s agenda, according to a person familiar with the communication.
One of the most prominent units of the DOJ, the FBI is headquartered in Washington in a building named after former director J. Edgar Hoover. The bureau has more than 50 field offices across the country that investigate cases from cyber attacks and white-collar crime to murder and allegations of sexual misconduct.
As a presidential candidate, Mr Trump blasted the FBI investigations into him and claimed prosecutors had “weaponised” the justice system to go against him.
He has threatened to wield the levers of power to go after perceived enemies.
Mr Trump has nominated Mr Kash Patel, a loyalist who has criticised the “deep state”,
Mr Patel testified that all FBI employees will be protected from political retribution and no one will be terminated because of the specific cases they worked on.
Smith investigations
Two of the most prominent leaders leaving the agency are Mr Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge in Miami, and Mr David Sunberg, the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, some of the people said.
Mr Sunberg’s office was involved in the sprawling investigation by former special counsel Jack Smith into Mr Trump’s role in the Jan 6, 2021, riots. His departure was first reported by NBC News. Mr Sunberg declined to comment.
Mr Veltri’s office had some involvement in the bureau’s search of Mar-a-Lago for Mr Smith’s classified document probe, one of the people said. Mr Veltri declined to comment when asked by phone on Jan 31 if he had stepped down. BLOOMBERG
