FBI removes two top officials amid Capitol riot probe controversy

By Myles Miller

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is ousting two senior officials who’ve been ensnared in controversies related to the agency’s investigations of the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol riot, marking the most significant leadership shake-up since Kash Patel took over as director.  

Brian Driscoll, the bureau’s former acting director, and Steven Jensen, who’s been leading the Washington Field Office since April, were instructed to leave, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. 

 

The FBI declined to comment. The officials didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

 

The removals follow months of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, who have called for a full accounting of the bureau’s handling of politically sensitive cases tied to the attack on the Capitol. 

Driscoll led the bureau temporarily ahead of Patel’s confirmation in February. He was briefly in the spotlight after the administration demanded the FBI compile a list of staff who worked on investigations or prosecutions related to the Capitol riot.

 

Jensen previously served as section chief of the domestic terrorism operations section, according to an FBI press release in April announcing his ascent to assistant director in charge of the Washington office.

 

The removals come as the Trump administration steps up its effort to restructure the Justice Department and federal law enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a series of internal directives targeting what she called “unethical prosecutions” tied to Jan 6. 

 

The FBI Agents Association said in a statement it is “deeply concerned” by the report that the agents “are going to be summarily fired without due process for doing their jobs investigating potential federal crimes.”

 

“Agents are not given the option to pick and choose their cases, and these Agents carried out their assignments with professionalism and integrity,” the nonprofit association said. “Most importantly, they followed the law.”