By Steve Neavling
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll refused a Justice Department order to assist in firing agents involved in Jan. 6 riot cases, multiple current and former FBI officials told NBC News.
His defiance on Friday was so forceful that some within the bureau feared he might be dismissed.
Driscoll, who leads the FBI’s Newark field office and is temporarily serving as acting director, ultimately remained in his position.
The Senate is currently debating whether to confirm Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director. A longtime critic of the bureau’s handling of Trump-related investigations, Patel assured lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that no FBI officials would face retaliation.
“All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” Patel said under oath on Thursday.
Just over 24 hours after Patel’s testimony, Driscoll informed the FBI workforce that Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general and former personal defense lawyer for Trump, had ordered the removal of eight senior FBI executives. He was also directed to turn over the names of every FBI employee involved in investigating Jan. 6 rioters.
A former member of the FBI’s elite hostage rescue team, Driscoll assured agents that he would act according to the law and FBI policy. “As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always,” he wrote.
Despite Driscoll’s opposition, the eight executives were forced out. However, he did not confirm whether he would comply with the broader request for the full list of Jan. 6-related investigators. That list, he noted, included thousands of FBI employees, himself among them.
News of Driscoll’s resistance quickly spread within the FBI. One agent, in a message widely shared among bureau personnel, summed up the situation bluntly: “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F— Off.”
Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department commented on the matter. A senior FBI official dismissed the accounts from current and former officials, saying, “It’s not true.”
A former FBI official familiar with Driscoll’s actions described his stance as unwavering.
“He pushed back hard,” the former official said.
