According to several sources, the FBI cooperated with an order from the Justice Department under President Trump on Tuesday and provided lawmakers with information about more than 5,000 employees who worked on investigations related to the January 6, 2021, disturbance at the US Capitol.
Last week, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove made a request that raised concerns and led to lawsuits claiming that the names could endanger the safety of FBI agents and their families.
However, the information provided by the agency does not include the identities of employees.
The material that was supplied to the Department of Justice contained personnel ID numbers, job titles, and their roles in the investigations of January 6.
According to various news sources, Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, Jr. addressed workers on Friday that the Department of Justice had requested the material in order to carry out “a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.”
Nine FBI agents filed a class-action lawsuit against the Justice Department on Tuesday in response to the request. They alleged that acting Attorney General James McHenry and other officials at the DOJ were retaliating against them by distributing surveys that asked about their involvement in cases against Trump and his supporters. The agents claimed that the purpose of the surveys was “to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action.”
The agents stated that “even if they are not targeted for termination, they may face other retaliatory acts such as demotion, denial of job opportunities or denial of promotions in the future.”
The FBI’s union and other anonymous agency employees filed a separate request on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C. They called for a temporary restraining order against the Department of Justice.
“FBI Special Agents who risk their lives protecting the country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized simply for doing their jobs,” FBIAA President Natalie Bara stated.
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“Exposing the names of FBI Agents and employees on these lists would put the safety of these individuals and their families at risk. Further, this reckless action would create a chilling effect within the law enforcement community and weaken the Bureau’s ability to combat criminal and national security threats.”
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Both complaints claimed that making public the specifics of any of the agents’ involvement in the investigations would violate their First Amendment rights, the Privacy Act of 1974, and due process.
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