Latest news with #Jan6
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration ousts top FBI official who resisted purge of Jan. 6 agents
A top FBI official who resisted President Donald Trump's purge of agents who participated in investigations of the Jan. 6 attack has reportedly been ousted. Brian Driscoll, a veteran agent who served as acting director of the FBI in the first weeks of the Trump administration, has been forced out of the bureau with Friday being his last day on the job, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. Driscoll made headlines in late January when he resisted demands from the incoming Trump administration for information about FBI agents who participated in investigations into the 2021 attack on the Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters. Emil Bove, Trump's onetime personal lawyer who was then serving as a senior Justice Department official, wrote a memo at the time accusing Driscoll and other top FBI officials of 'insubordination.' The FBI eventually relented and provided personnel details about several thousand employees, albeit identifying them by unique employee numbers rather than by their names. It wasn't immediately clear why Driscoll was ousted now and if the firing is part of a larger purge. Spokespeople for the FBI and director Kash Patel declined to comment. Driscoll, a veteran agent who has worked on international counterterrorism investigations in New York and once led the bureau's Hostage Rescue Team, was named acting director in January after Christopher Wray quit at Trump's behest and while Patel's controversial nomination was pending. After Patel was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, Driscoll was reassigned to lead an FBI division that deploys manpower and resources to crisis situations. The news comes amid a broader personnel purge that has unfolded over the last several months under the leadership of Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both MAGA loyalists. Several senior officials including top agents in charge of field offices have been pushed out of their jobs, and some agents have been subjected to polygraph exams, moves that have roiled the nation's premier law-enforcement agency. Another senior agent, Walter Giardina, who helped probe a case that sent the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to prison, has also been ousted, the New York Times reported. In April, the bureau reassigned several agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. Agents who participated in probes of the bloody January 6 riot, which led to hundreds of successful prosecutions, and the investigations of Trump himself are looked upon with suspicion by MAGA loyalists, even though the agents were following orders from the Justice Department. Trump pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6 attackers, including those convicted of violently attacking police officers and a handful of white nationalist extremists who planned and led the attack, which was aimed at preventing Congress from certifying former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump. _____
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Video from Jan. 6 attack shows Justice Department adviser telling rioters attacking police to "kill 'em"
Washington — Video footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol shows a man who now works as an adviser at the Justice Department shouting at rioters to "kill" law enforcement officers responding to the attack and calling them "the Gestapo." The footage, from a body camera worn by a Metropolitan Police Department officer, was first published Thursday by NPR. The network joined CBS News and other news organizations in suing to obtain thousands of hours of surveillance footage and court exhibits from the more than 1,000 criminal cases brought by the Justice Department against people who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack. Among those defendants was Jared Wise, who eventually faced six charges as a result of his alleged actions on Jan. 6. He pleaded not guilty. Wise's hiring by the Justice Department was reported last month. A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that Wise "is a valued member of The Department of Justice and we appreciate his contributions to our team." Wise was employed as a special agent and supervisory special agent with the FBI from 2004 through 2017, according to the Justice Department. He was indicted in May 2023 on six counts that arose out of his alleged actions on Jan. 6, when a violent mob of President Trump's supporters breached the U.S. Capitol building to protest the 2020 election results. Among the charges was one count of civil disorder and one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer of the U.S. performing their official duties. In accompanying court papers, an FBI agent said that video footage depicted Wise inside the Capitol building on the afternoon of Jan. 6 after entering from a Senate door. Body camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department also showed Wise engaging with police officers outside the Capitol, telling them, "You guys are disgusting. I'm former — I'm former law enforcement. You're disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can't see it because you're chasing a pension, right? Your pension. Your retirement right?" The footage shows him continuing to yell at the officers, telling them, "Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!" When police who were attempting to move protesters back from the Capitol were knocked to the ground in front of Wise, the video shows him shouting toward them "Yeah, f*** them! Yeah, kill 'em!" He also allegedly yelled toward rioters attacking a police line, "Kill 'em! Kill 'em! Kill 'em!" Wise had lived in New Braunfels, Texas, until June 2022, after which he moved to Bend, Oregon, according to court records. An unidentified tipster told the FBI in January 2022 that Wise shared he was inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, the agent said. The FBI then obtained a court-authorized search warrant for Wise's records, which confirmed he was around the Capitol that day, according to the filing. Wise pleaded not guilty to the charges in June 2023. A trial was set to begin last fall and was ultimately held in January. But before the jury could begin deliberating, Mr. Trump issued blanket pardons to roughly 1,500 defendants charged for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack. The Justice Department asked the court to dismiss Wise's case on Jan. 20, the day of Mr. Trump's inauguration, and it was granted one day later, filings MacFarlane contributed to this report.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Several senior FBI leaders ousted without explanation, sources say
Several top FBI officials were ousted from their jobs this week, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News, including the former acting director of the bureau who previously resisted efforts to compile a list of agents who worked on the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Sources tell ABC News that among those informed of their terminations are former acting FBI director Brian Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the Washington, D.C. Field office Steven Jensen, and agents Walter Giardina and Christopher Meyer. It does not appear that any were informed of the rationale behind their terminations, the sources said. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fired federal prosecutor based in Tampa plans to sue Trump administration
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A former Assistant U.S. attorney, based in Tampa, is talking to 8 On Your Side, after the Justice Department fired him. Mike Gordon said he was fired for enforcing the law, defending democracy, and prosecuting people who rioted on Jan. 6. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'When people like me are fired for just doing their job, I don't see how it can't create a climate where every prosecutor around the country isn't looking over their shoulder,' Gordon said. 'Every prosecutor isn't forced to ask themselves not is this what the law requires, is this what would benefit the public, but instead is this what would please the president.' Gordon said his termination came without any warning, explanation, or cause. He's retained high-profile D.C. Attorney Abbe Lowell and is in the process of suing the Trump administration. This will make him the first fired federal prosecutor to take that legal step. Florida AG investigating drag show at bar owned by Vero Beach vice mayor Four years after the U.S. Capitol attack, President Donald Trump returned to the presidency. 'You're going to see a lot of action on the Jan. 6 hostages,' said the president in January. Trump fulfilled his promise when he pardoned more than 1,500 criminal defendants charged for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021. Attorney General Pam Bondi fires local federal prosecutor involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases, Leo Govoni case 'I pursued cases against January 6 rioters, because what they did, not because who they supported.' Said Gordon. 'Because they assaulted police officers, not because who they voted for.' Gordon is based in Tampa with the Middle District of Florida. He prosecuted at least 30 January 6th cases, including members of the Proud Boys. 'I've been a fighter my whole life and for the last 8 1/2 years I fought on behalf of the Department of Justice and behalf of the country, now I'm in a position where I have to fight for myself,' said Gordon. 'I lost my job doing what was right, but I didn't lose my voice.' Gordon is now using his voice to share what happened on June 27. He told Investigative Reporter Brittany Muller he wasn't the only one blindsided when he received the dismissal letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which cites Article II of the Constitution, empowering the President. Her letter to Gordon reads, 'you are removed from federal service effective immediately.' 'What is most concerning about the letter that AG Bondi signed is that it is patently, obviously, black-and-white lawless that it disregards the law,' Gordon said. 'So, how can someone be in charge of the Department of Justice, the part of the government tasked for enforcing the law, and also just ignore it to satisfy the president's desire for revenge.' AUSA's are covered by civil service protection laws. 'The law requires that the government cannot fire a federal prosecutor without first giving warning and then giving a justification, a reason, merit-based reason for firing,' Gordon said. 'They didn't do any of that with me.' 'Our justice system depends on the independence of prosecutors who enforce the law without fear, favor, or political pressure,' said Abbe David Lowell, Lowell & Associates. 'When that independence is compromised, justice itself is at risk. This case isn't about one prosecutor's career, but the integrity of our legal system. Mike Gordon was a distinguished prosecutor whose public service included convicting violent gang members, Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and fraudsters who preyed on people with disabilities. He followed the law, not politics, and was fired for it.' Lowell & Associates said there will be other DOJ employees included as plaintiffs in the lawsuit that will be filed this week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Emil Bove declines to rule out 3rd Trump term or denounce Jan. 6 rioters in Senate questionnaire
Washington — Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official who previously served as President Trump's criminal defense attorney, declined to rule out the possibility of the president running for a third term and did not denounce the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in a questionnaire submitted to a Senate panel considering his nomination for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote next week on whether to advance Bove's nomination to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. CBS News obtained the 165-page questionnaire that Bove submitted to senators in response to their written questions. In his answers, Bove also wrote he does not recall which Jan. 6 criminal cases he helped supervise when he served in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. In response to the question "Do you denounce the January 6 insurrection?" Bove wrote: "The characterization of the events on January 6 is a matter of significant political debate," and said it would be "inappropriate to address this question" given ongoing litigation over pardons of Jan. 6 defendants. Bove, who helped defend Mr. Trump in his felony trial in New York in 2023, has been a lightning rod for Democrats who have accused him of politically weaponizing his role at the Justice Department this year to pursue the president's goals. Bove has served as principal associate deputy attorney general since Mr. Trump returned to the White House in January, and was a federal prosecutor in New York from 2012 to 2021. In the Senate questionnaire, Bove argued his role in shuttering the corruption prosecution of New York Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year has been mischaracterized. Bove was accused of pushing a quid pro quo in which the Justice Department would drop its criminal case against Adams in return for the mayor supporting Mr. Trump's immigration policies. Several prosecutors and Justice Department officials resigned in the fallout of Bove's order to drop the case. Bove told senators that the decision to seek to drop the charges against Adams was "well within the scope of prosecutorial discretion" and that Adams' own court submissions and statements "refute false public allegations by third parties regarding some sort of improper quid pro quo." Bove was also accused of pressuring Justice Department employees to support the effort or face possible employment actions, an accusation he disputed in the questionnaire. "It was never my intention to coerce, pressure, or induce any DOJ attorney — through adverse employment actions, threats, rewards, or otherwise — to sign the motion to dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams," he wrote. Multiple Democratic senators pressed Bove in their questionnaire to clarify if Bove believes the Constitution permits Mr. Trump to run for a third term, despite the restrictions of the 22nd Amendment, which states that "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." "As a nominee to the Third Circuit, it would not be appropriate for me to address how this Amendment would apply in an abstract hypothetical scenario," Bove responded on multiple occasions. "To the extent this question seeks to elicit an answer that could be taken as opining on the broader political or policy debate regarding term limits, or on statements by any political figure, my response, consistent with the positions of prior judicial nominees, is that it would be improper to offer any such comment as a judicial nominee." When asked whether President Biden was duly elected in the 2020 election, Bove responded, "President Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election and served as the 46th President of the United States," adding that it "would be improper" for him to opine on "the broader political or policy debate regarding the conduct of the 2020 presidential election or on statements by any political figure." Bove wrote that he does not recall where he was on Jan. 6, 2021, but that he was not in Washington. He declined to answer if he would characterize the Capitol siege as an "insurrection." He also acknowledged that he provided Mr. Trump with legal advice about his pardons of those involved in the attack. When asked if he supported the pardons of violent Jan. 6 attackers, Bove wrote, "As I explained at my confirmation hearing, it would not be appropriate for me, as a nominee, to comment on President Trump's use of the pardon authority." Bove's responses noted his prior legal work as Trump's defense lawyer, a role shared by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. Bove wrote that the legal team "typically charged President Trump a discounted rate of $650 per hour for services by myself and Mr. Blanche." CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment on the questionnaire. In an earlier statement to CBS News, White House spokesman Harrison Fields championed Bove's qualifications for the lifetime appointment to the circuit court. "Emil Bove is an incredibly talented legal mind and a staunch defender of the U.S. Constitution who will make an excellent circuit court judge," Fields said. "Bove is unquestionably qualified for the role and has a career filled with accolades, both academically and throughout his legal career, that should make him a shoo-in for the Third Circuit. The President is committed to nominating constitutionalists to the bench who will restore law and order and end the weaponization of the justice system, and Emil Bove fits that mold perfectly."
