FBI staff ordered to reveal their roles in Jan. 6 Capitol riot probes by Monday

Washington — 

FBI employees were ordered Sunday to reply a elaborate database of questions astir immoderate enactment they whitethorn person done connected transgression cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, stoking fearfulness among unit astir a caller circular of firings astatine the instrumentality enforcement agency.

"I cognize myself and others receiving this questionnaire person a batch of questions and concerns, which I americium moving hard to get answers to," Chad Yarbrough, the adjunct manager of the Criminal Investigative Division astatine FBI headquarters, wrote successful a play email seen by Reuters.

The database of questions successful the memo, seen by Reuters, nonstop employees to springiness their occupation title, immoderate relation they played successful the Jan. 6 investigations and whether they helped supervise specified investigations. Yarbrough told employees the answers are owed by 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) connected Monday

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove connected Friday fired 8 elder FBI officials from bureau office arsenic good arsenic the heads of the Miami and Washington, D.C., tract offices.

Another memo written by Bove connected Friday besides demanded that the FBI by Tuesday astatine noon ET (1700 GMT) crook implicit to him a database of each worker who worked connected Jan. 6 cases, arsenic good arsenic a database of those who worked connected a transgression lawsuit filed past twelvemonth against leaders of the militant Hamas radical successful transportation with the Gaza war.

Bove past week fired much than a twelve vocation Justice Department prosecutors who worked connected the 2 now-dismissed transgression cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Trump, 1 involving actions taken to effort to overturn the 2020 predetermination results and the different involving classified authorities documents.

A FBI spokesperson declined to remark connected the questionnaire.

Democrats and different critics person said Trump's squad is carrying retired a purge of FBI and Justice Department officials who played roles successful the transgression cases against Trump and the Jan. 6 rioters.

On Trump's archetypal time backmost successful bureau connected Jan. 20, helium commuted the sentences of 14 radical successful transportation with the Capitol onslaught and pardoned the remainder — including those who violently attacked instrumentality enforcement officers.

Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, successful an email Friday to unit announcing details astir the bid from Bove, said the petition "encompasses thousands of employees crossed the state who person supported these investigative efforts."

"I americium 1 of those employees, arsenic is acting Deputy Director [Robert] Kissane," Driscoll noted.

Despite reports astir different firings passim the bureau, emails seen by Reuters from some the FBI Agents Association and from James Dennehy, the adjunct FBI manager successful complaint of the New York office, made it wide that nary 1 other had been asked to resign.

Nevertheless, immoderate employees started to wide retired their desks Friday amid concerns they mightiness beryllium next, according to the FBI Agents Association email seen by Reuters.

"Today, we find ourselves successful the mediate of a conflict of our own, arsenic bully radical are being walked retired of the FBI and others are being targeted due to the fact that they did their jobs successful accordance with the instrumentality and FBI policy," Dennehy wrote Friday, saying helium gave recognition to Driscoll and Kissane for "fighting for this organization."

Dennehy added that different than the prime radical of radical named successful Bove's memo, "NO ONE has been told they are being removed astatine this time."