FBI’s top New York official urges personnel to ‘dig in’ for ‘battle’ with White House

THE HEAD OF THE Federal Bureau of Investigation’s largest field office sent an email to his staff last night, urging them to “dig in” for “battle” after the White House began scrutinizing the Bureau’s investigation into the January 6 riots. James E. Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, sent a defiant email to FBI employees just hours after the Department of Justice (DOJ) began compiling the names of Bureau personnel who participated in the probe of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

On January 31, President Donald Trump’s administration summarily dismissed nine senior FBI officials. The following day, the Bureau’s interim leadership received a DOJ directive instructing them to provide information on all employees involved in the January 6 investigation. This request applies not only to special agents but also to thousands of FBI personnel who provided support services for what remains the largest investigation in the agency’s history.

Approximately 15% of the FBI’s workforce —an estimated 6,000 employees— was involved in the investigation. On Sunday, around 4,000 of them received an email from the Department of Justice asking them to voluntarily disclose their role in the probe. Reports indicate that recipients must submit the requested information by 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time today. Many within the FBI fear this inquiry is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to remove rank-and-file employees who worked on January 6 cases.

In response, Dennehy, a former U.S. Marine who joined the FBI after seven years in the Corps, sent an email on Sunday afternoon to personnel in the New York field office, delivering what appears to be a message of defiance. “Today,” he wrote, “we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the FBI and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy.”

Dennehy praised the Bureau’s interim leaders, Brian Driscoll and Robert C. Kissane, for resisting DOJ requests to provide lists of FBI personnel, calling them “warriors.” He also recounted his Marine Corps experience, describing a time when he had to dig a five-foot-deep foxhole to survive, stating he would “dig in” similarly now. He emphasized that he had no plans to resign from the FBI or step down from his current position.

Dennehy’s remarks mark a potentially significant escalation in the growing conflict between the Trump administration and the nation’s premier law enforcement agency. The FBI’s New York field office —the largest in the country— employs over 1,100 special agents and another 1,000 support staff, making up roughly 10% of the Bureau’s entire personnel. The New York field office is also influential and often leads the way on matters of personnel policy and action. FBI leaders in other field offices across the U.S. may follow Dennehy’s lead in the coming hours.

Just before Dennehy’s email, former FBI Director James Comey, who led the Bureau from 2013 until Trump dismissed him in 2017, urged FBI employees to “fight for the rule of law.” In a social media post, Comey advised Bureau personnel to “fight […] to protect your country and to keep your jobs.” He added: “Don’t let the darkness of bad people steal the joy of public service.”

Also on Sunday night, the FBI Agents Association addressed the DOJ’s questionnaire in an email to its members. The message acknowledged, “We understand that this feels like agents and employees are being targeted,” but assured members that “the FBI has a long-standing and robust process that aims to provide due process in accordance with policies and law.” The association further stated that “FBI 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.”

► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 03 February 2025 | Permalink