By Steve Neavling
The FBI has revoked the security clearances of three agents for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a letter sent by the bureau to the House Judiciary Committee.
The letter by FBI Acting Assistant Director Christopher Dunham addresses a subpoena from the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which sought testimony from at least two agents – Marcus Allen and Stephen Friend, The New York Times reports.
The committee is investigating what the GOP describes as the “weaponization” of the federal government against conservatives.
The bureau revoked the security clearances of Allen, Friend and Brett Gloss, who entered a restricted area of the Capitol grounds while he was with a pro-Trump mob, as the FBI investigates their cases.
Gloss, who has not been charged, provided “false and/or misleading information” about what he witnessed during the insurrection and whether he was in a restricted area.
“Mr. Gloss’s refusal to provide full, frank and truthful answers to lawful questions of security officials in connection with a personnel security or trustworthiness determination should result in an adverse clearance action,” the letter said.
The bureau found that Allen had “expressed sympathy for persons or organizations that advocate, threaten or use force or violence,” according to the letter. Allen also used his bureau email account to urge several colleagues to “exercise extreme caution and discretion in pursuit of any investigative inquiries or leads pertaining to the events of” Jan. 6, the letter said.
Allen also linked to a website stating that “federal law enforcement had some degree of infiltration among the crowds gathered at the Capitol,” prompting him to suggest that there were “serious concerns” about the federal government’s involvement in the riot.
Friend’s security clearance was revoked Tuesday after he refused last summer to participate in a SWAT arrest of an insurrection suspect, claiming the raid amounted to excessive force.
The letter states that Friend also “espoused an alternative narrative about the events at the U.S. Capitol” while communicating with his supervisors about his refusal to take part in the raid.
