Top F.B.I. Agent in New York Vows to ‘Dig In’ After Removals at Agency

The New York Times ^ | Feb. 2, 2025, 1:30 p.m. ET | Adam Goldman, William K. Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The top agent at the F.B.I.’s New York City field office vowed in a defiant email to his staff to “dig in” after the Trump administration targeted officials involved in the investigations into the Jan. 6 attack — and praised the bureau’s interim leaders for defending its independence.

“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy,” wrote James E. Dennehy, a veteran and highly-respected agent who has run the largest and most important field office in the bureau since last September.

An F.B.I. spokeswoman declined to comment on internal bureau communications.

The email came after the Justice Department ordered the F.B.I. on Friday to collect the names of bureau personnel who helped investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, raising the possibility that Mr. Trump’s political appointees plan to purge career bureau officials, including rank-and-file field agents. That number could reach 6,000 — or about a sixth of the bureau’s 38,000 employees, according to the F.B.I.

At least nine high-ranking officials have been forced out since Trump’s inauguration, plunging the bureau into confusion. Mr. Dennehy wrote that those removals had spread “fear and angst within the F.B.I. ranks.”

Mr. Dennehy urged his employees to remain calm, and not make any rushed decisions about their careers, and he committed to providing assistance to them no matter what happened.

“Time for me to dig in,” he wrote.

In an extraordinary gesture, Mr. Dennehy, a former Marine, praised the two top acting officials at the F.B.I. — Brian Driscoll and Robert C. Kissane — for “fighting” for the bureau’s employees. Both resisted efforts to immediately oust career employees, and...

[FLT-bird]

Fire him. Let him serve as a warning to others.

[Wuli]

My complaint with the majority of good career FBI agents, is not enough of them became whistleblowers over the abuses and political bias the FBI leadership committed. More of them should have resigned instead of just following orders only because the orders were “legal” - met the legal requirements of who is in charge.

[rxh4n1]

“I like that idea. Send him the least desirable office.”

FBI liaison officer at the US embassy in Chad.

[catnipman]

"The top agent at the F.B.I.’s New York City field office vowed in a defiant email to his staff to “dig in” after the Trump administration targeted officials involved in the investigations into the Jan. 6 attack"

[catnipman]

“Top F.B.I. Agent in New York Vows to ‘Dig In’ After Removals at Agency”

ROTFLOL!

whatamaroon! shoulda kept his head down ... now they’ll make an example of him by reassigning him to the new Nome, Alaska regional office ... I hope we’ll get some updates when this happens ...