The Trump administration plans to scrutinize the FBI agents for a possible purge

The Trump administration plans to analyze dozens of FBI agents involved in investigations related to Trump, preparing the scenario for a possible purge addressed not only to the leaders of the office but also to the grassroots agents, according to people familiar with the matter.

On Friday, the internal leaders of the Department of Justice instructed the FBI to notify about half a dozen officials of their high -ranking career who faced the termination, according to a person with direct knowledge of the measure. It is not clear who officials are or why they were attacked.

But it is expected that a much larger group, which includes dozens and perhaps hundreds of lower rank professional agents who had a limited decision -making authority, notify in the next few days that face a possible termination, degradation or transfer under a no more or less specified internal review process, said the person.

The target agents could include researchers who worked in some of the cases derived from the attack of January 6, 2021 in the United States Capitol, but they could also include investigations that do not have a direct link with President Trump or the attack.

The measure to promulgate the plan occurs only one day after Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the FBI, testified to Congress that the office would not be attacked for political reasons.

A spokesman for the department, and the representative of Mr. Patel, did not immediately respond to requests for comments. FBI officials declined to comment.

“All FBI employees will be protected against political compensation,” Patel said during his confirmation ear on Thursday.

That same day, a different handful of officials were notified than They had the option to give up Or I would be fired.

However, in private, the senior officials of the Department of Justice have requested the names of thousands of agents who worked in cases involved in the disturbances of January 6, 2021 in the Capitol.

In a statement, the FBI agents association said that if it is true, “these scandalous actions of endless officials are fundamentally disagree with the objectives of the application of the law described by President Trump.”

“Potentially discarding hundreds of agents severely weakened the capacity of the office to protect the country from national security and criminal threats,” the statement continued.

Such moving and layoffs would also contradict the public statements made by Pam Bondi, the election of Mr. Trump for the Attorney General and Mr. Patel, the organization said.

People familiar with planning spoke about anonymity to describe private discussions. If the administration continues, it would be a unique moment in the history of the FBI and would fly in front of decades of civil service laws that are destined to protect the integrity and professionalism of the government’s workforce.

Mr. Patel, speaking under oath, also promised to follow the office procedures established in the search for terminations or transfers, including accusations of inappropriate conduct by prosecutors to the inspector general of the Department of Justice before taking measures.

FBI officials were already preparing for fast changes, but forced retirees and the dismissal of higher agents in the field and at this week’s headquarters have caused fear in the office, where agents wonder if they will be fired for investigations that They angered Trump that.

“They are emptying our professional community to apply the law,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal de Connecticut, a Democrat who questioned Mr. Patel at the confirmation hearing. “It is the absolute height of arrogance to do exactly what its FBI nominee promised not to do, literally the day after the promise made. He is surreal and disgusting and must be ignored by disqualifying for this nominee. “

The compensation has been rapid in the Department of Justice, since approximately a dozen prosecutors who worked on the two criminal investigations on Trump by special advisor Jack Smith were fired.

Trump once called the riots of January 6 an “atrocious attack”, but in one of his first official acts he granted a radical clemency to all the almost 1,600 people accused in the assault. The majority of the defendants issued forgiveness and commuted the sentences of 14 members of the proud children and the militia of the jurors, most of whom were convicted of sedicious conspiracy.

Senator John Kennedy, a Republican of Louisiana, told Mr. Patel during his confirmation hearing that legislators would make him responsible if he tried to take revenge on the FBI, saying that two errors did not make a right.

“And there have been and there may still be some bad people there, and you must find out who the bad people are and get rid of them, according to due process and the rule of law,” Kennedy said. “And then you have to lift good people. Don’t go there and burn that place. Go there and do it better. “