The FBI is removing at least three high-ranking officials, including a former acting director and an officer connected to the January 6 investigations, Fox News has learned.
Sources say Brian Driscoll, former acting director of the FBI, is among those being forced out, along with Walter Giardina, a special agent involved in the investigation of Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, and Steven Jensen, the acting director in charge of the Washington Field Office.
Driscoll served as acting director before Kash Patel was confirmed to lead the bureau, while Jensen played a significant role in the January 6 investigations. Senior officials reportedly told the affected agents they must leave by Friday, without providing specific reasons.
One source familiar with the matter described the removals as “retribution.” Additional ousters are expected by week’s end, though the total number and positions involved remain unclear.
The move comes months after thousands of FBI employees were required to complete a detailed questionnaire about any role they played in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot investigation. The form, first reported by Fox News Digital, raised fears of politicization and possible retaliation against agents linked to the cases.
Concerns intensified when then–Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the bureau to compile a list of all current and former personnel connected to the January 6 investigations. The list reportedly included “thousands” of names, along with each person’s unique identifying number, title, and role during the investigation.
Nine current FBI agents and employees later filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to block the release of that list, warning it could threaten their careers and disrupt the bureau’s work. Former Justice Department officials have cautioned that such measures could have a chilling effect across the FBI’s 52 field offices.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association (FBIAA), representing over 14,000 active and retired special agents, issued a statement expressing that they are “deeply concerned” about the reported firings and are “actively reviewing all legal options” to protect agents dismissed without due process.
“Agents are not given the option to pick and choose their cases, and these agents carried out their assignments with professionalism and integrity,” the FBIAA said. “Most importantly, they followed the law.”
Some former officials note that while President Donald Trump has the authority to make such staffing decisions, mass removals tied to January 6 investigations could further impact morale and operations.
In February, President Trump declined to say whether his administration would target FBI employees involved in the Capitol riot investigation, instead stating that he believed the bureau was “corrupt” and expressing confidence that Patel would “straighten it out.”
