Friday, January 31

Several top FBI officials are told to resign or face demotion as Trump continues federal purge

Washington One current and three former FBI officials said Thursday that some high-ranking FBI executives who were elevated by previous Director Christopher Wray were urged to retire or quit, and that if they don’t, they will be demoted or reassigned.

A half-dozen executive assistant directors, some of the bureau’s top administrators in charge of criminal, national security, and cyber investigations, are among the senior personnel being purged. They cannot be fired without cause because they are career civil workers.

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A former official speaking to FBI personnel said there is a lot of resentment because the impacted staff aren’t regarded as political players in any way, while a current FBI official told NBC News that the move would be extremely disruptive.

CNN was the first to report on the personnel changes, and the FBI declined to comment.

Wray resigned at the end of the Biden administration after President Donald Trump nominated him to his 10-year position in 2017.

The FBI’s actions follow a string of dismissals within the first ten days of the Trump administration.

Last week, Trump dismissed 18 inspectors general, including the Department of Health and Human Services’ watchdogs as well as those from the State, Defense, and Labor departments.

In defense of the dismissals, Trump claimed that “some were unfair or were not doing the job.”

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Concerned about Trump’s use of threats of retaliation against those who have questioned his actions, the Trump administration has also dismissed career lawyers at the Justice Department who worked on his prosecution.

Kash Patel has been appointed by Trump to head the FBI during his second term. During a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Patel stated that the FBI would not take retaliatory action if he was confirmed.

Zo Richards reported from New York, and Ken Dilanian from Washington.

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