Several senior FBI leaders ousted without explanation, sources say

essentialsaltes said:

'Draining the swamp' is about eliminating the influence of money and lobbying in politics. So no , it doesn't apply.

AI: It's a metaphor for reducing the power of lobbyists, special interest groups, and wealthy individuals who are seen as wielding undue influence in Washington.

Now that we have the wealthiest Cabinet ever, the swamp is swampier than ever.

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essentialsaltes said:

'Draining the swamp' is about eliminating the influence of money and lobbying in politics. So no , it doesn't apply.

AI: It's a metaphor for reducing the power of lobbyists, special interest groups, and wealthy individuals who are seen as wielding undue influence in Washington.

Now that we have the wealthiest Cabinet ever, the swamp is swampier than ever.

Click to expand...

essentialsaltes said:

Sources tell ABC News that among those informed of their terminations are former acting FBI director Brian Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the Washington, D.C. Field office Steven Jensen, and agents Walter Giardina and Christopher Meyer.

It does not appear that any were informed of the rationale behind their terminations, the sources said.

The firings have alarmed many rank-and-file agents due to concerns over whether the moves were politically motivated, said the sources. Giardina and Meyer, for instance, previously worked on investigations involving President Donald Trump.

Driscoll, who had served for nearly 20 years in the bureau, including a variety of leadership positions, was elevated briefly to the role of acting director in the opening days of Trump's presidency.

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essentialsaltes said:

Because they are Cabinet members, they don't need to bribe anybody to influence government policy in their favor.

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essentialsaltes said:

Politics, retribution behind FBI purge, agents allege in new lawsuit against Patel, Bondi​

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, alleges Patel told one of the agents that his job as FBI director depended on firing agents involved in past investigations of President Trump.

Patel allegedly said "he had to fire the people his superiors told him to fire, because his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of the agents who worked on cases involving the President," the lawsuit alleges.

The three fired agents who brought the case were decorated veterans of the agency who had served in senior roles. One of them, Driscoll, had briefly been acting FBI director while Patel was going through the Senate confirmation process. Steven Jensen served as assistant director in charge of the Washington, D.C., field office. Spencer Evans had once led the Las Vegas field office, but by the time he was fired he had been removed from that position and was being relocated to the Huntsville, Alabama, office.

The lawsuit specifically alleges that the FBI was pressured by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who wanted "to see personnel action, like reassignment, removals and terminations at the FBI, similar to the firings and reassignments of senior attorneys at DOJ that had occurred since January 20, 2025."

One focus of the purge involved FBI employees who were part of the Jan. 6 investigations, according to the complaint. The suit alleges that Emil Bove, who at the time was a senior top Justice Department official, told Driscoll about "pressure he was receiving from (Stephen) Miller to conduct summary firings of agents."

According to the lawsuit, Trump transition team members reached out to Driscoll about assuming a senior leadership role in an acting capacity. He soon learned it was to be acting deputy FBI director. After agreeing to be vetted for the position, according to the complaint, Driscoll was questioned by a 29-year-old transition aide who asked him a series of questions that seemed to seek information about his political loyalties.

Among the questions recounted by Driscoll in the lawsuit: "Who did you vote for?" "Do you agree that the FBI agents who stormed Mar-a-Lago, to include the rank-and-file, should be held accountable?" "What are your thoughts on DEI?" And, "Have you voted for a Democrat in the last five elections?"

Driscoll defended the actions of the agents in the Mar-a-Lago search "for doing their job" and said he "strongly believes in diversity and a diverse workforce." He refused to answer the other questions, according to the lawsuit.

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