The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Agents Association issued a memo to members addressing in-depth questionnaires about their involvement with the investigations related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) through a submission form on Sunday night for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump assured voters that he would not seek retribution against the Justice Department for its investigations into him during Joe Biden‘s administration.
In a December 2024 interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a Republican, said: “Donald Trump has never been about retribution. Donald Trump has been stopping these agencies from being weaponized against we, the people, and frankly from being weaponized against him and all the law-fare that we saw unfold, where Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg and Jack Smith went after President Trump on ridiculous things that we all know were just that: ridiculous.”
However, a top DOJ official on January 31 ordered the dismissal of several prosecutors who were hired to work on cases against individuals charged in the U.S. Capitol riot, while reports surfaced ahead of the weekend that the administration plans to dismiss at least some of the FBI agents who were involved in investigating the president.
What To Know
Approximately 4,000 agents, analysts and other employees across the FBI received questionnaires on Sunday, with a Monday deadline for completion, according to The Associated Press, citing an anonymous source with access to internal communications at the agency.
The FBI Agents Association followed that questionnaire with a memo to employees that appeared to downplay concerns that employees may face punishment for their involvement – even minorly – with the Trump and January 6 investigations.
“We understand that this feels like agents and employees are being targeted, despite repeated assurances that all FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” the memo stated. “Employees carrying out their duties to investigate allegations of criminal activity with integrity and within the rule of law should never be treated as those who have engaged in actual misconduct.”
The memo also stressed that the “FBI has a long-standing and robust process that aims to provide due process in accordance with policies and law,” and accordingly suggested that employees respond on the survey that they have received no clarity about how their answers are being used and that they only followed federal law, FBI policy and the Constitution.
What People Are Saying
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democrat, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “This outrageous action is retaliation, pure and simple. These prosecutors and FBI agents worked to uphold the rule of law and hold accountable people who broke it by interfering with the peaceful transfer of power.”
Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Republican, last week said on X: “Good. Every single one of them should be fired.”
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a Democrat, said in a statement: “In another repulsive affront to the rule of law and our nation’s law enforcement officers, the Trump administration today moved to fire scores of FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors simply for enforcing the law and impartially carrying out the largest criminal investigation in American history. If allowed to proceed, Trump’s purge of our federal law enforcement workforce will expose America to authoritarianism and dictatorship.”
What Happens Next
The FBI questionnaire is due on Monday, but what happens after that remains unknown.
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