Latest news with #purge
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Dire warning issued by former officials after Kash Patel's 'purge' of FBI
A coalition of former FBI, intelligence, diplomatic, and national security officials has accused FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino of orchestrating a political 'purge' of the bureau. In an extraordinary open letter the group said that the mass firings of senior agents threaten the FBI's independence and could turn it into a 'personal enforcement arm of a political figure.' The letter, signed by members of a group calling itself The Steady State, comes after Patel and Bongino abruptly fired several high-ranking officials last week. They included former Acting Director Brian Driscoll, Washington Field Office chief Steven Jensen, and veteran agents Walter Giardina and Michael Feinberg. All were told to clear their desks by Friday. 'It is not about reform. It is about control,' the group wrote. 'The aim, it seems, is to transform the FBI from a respected, constitutionally grounded investigative service into a personal enforcement arm of a political figure… We have seen these dynamics abroad - leaders who demand loyalty from security services not to the law, but to themselves. These regimes do not end well.' The statement accused the Trump administration of installing Patel and Bongino in leadership despite 'not having resumes that meet the basic standards' to run what it called 'the world's premier law enforcement agency.' The officials said the agents were targeted for not showing personal loyalty to President Donald Trump, calling the FBI's independence 'a democratic necessity.' From bureau veterans to sudden targets The firings landed hardest on officials with deep experience in national security, counterterrorism, and high-profile investigations. Driscoll, a veteran of the bureau's Hostage Rescue Team and a former leader of its Critical Incident Response Group, served as acting director after Christopher Wray's departure and was regarded inside the bureau as a hero having resisted Trump administration demands to turn over the names of agents who worked on January 6 investigations. The Justice Department's former Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who has since been confirmed to serve as an appellate court judge, accused Driscoll and former FBI Acting Deputy Director Robert Kissane of insubordination, after they tried to fend off his efforts to collect a list of the names of all those people. He said the requests were meant to 'permit the Justice Department to conduct a review of those particular agents' conduct pursuant to Trump's executive order' on 'weaponization' in the Biden administration. Responding to Bove's request, the FBI provided personnel details about several thousand employees, identifying them by unique employee numbers rather than by names. Driscoll, nicknamed 'The Drizz,' told his colleagues in a farewell message on Thursday that he was given no explanation for his removal. 'I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I have no answers,' Driscoll told colleagues in a farewell email. 'No cause has been articulated at this time. Please know that it has been the honor of my life to serve alongside each of you.' He wrote: 'Our collective sacrifice for those we serve is, and will always be, worth it. I regret nothing. You are my heroes and I remain in your debt.' Jensen, who oversaw the Washington Field Office - one of the bureau's busiest - was told his termination would be effective immediately. 'I intend to meet this challenge like any other I have faced in this organization, with professionalism, integrity and dignity,' he wrote in his own farewell note. 'Never waver in your resolve to answer the call to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution,' he added. Giardina, who worked on cases involving Trump aide Peter Navarro, and Feinberg, who has said he faced retaliation over his friendship with former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok, were also shown the door. Giardina had been recently targeted by Republican Senator Charles Grassley for his involvement in several Trump-related cases. Numerous senior officials including top agents in charge of big-city field offices have been pushed out of their jobs, and some agents have been subjected to polygraph exams, moves that former officials say have roiled the workforce and contributed to angst. Former Las Vegas Special Agent-in-Charge Spencer Evans was also told to leave on Friday. Numerous special agents in charge of field offices have been told to retire, resign or accept reassignment. In April the bureau also reassigned several agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The Steady State's letter painted the dismissals as part of a broader campaign to dismantle the FBI's 'long-standing independence' and replace it with political loyalty tests. 'The FBI has long been a bulwark against such corruption… Its independence is not a bureaucratic feature; it is a democratic necessity,' the letter read. They urged remaining agents to hold the line: 'The nation is watching, and will be inspired by the FBI. And history will remember.' Former FBI agent Phil Kennedy, an outspoken critic of the current leadership, posted the letter on social media and referred to the firings as 'the recent FBI purge,' calling it a 'Bureau bloodbath.' The mass terminations are the latest wave in a months-long shakeup under Patel and Bongino, which has seen senior leaders reassigned, forced into retirement, or subjected to polygraph exams. Some firings have targeted agents involved in politically sensitive cases, including the January 6 Capitol riot investigations and former Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecutions of Trump. The controversy deepened in February when thousands of bureau employees were ordered to complete questionnaires detailing any involvement in January 6 cases. Weeks later, then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered a list of all current and former personnel connected to those investigations, sparking fears the data would be used to identify and remove them. The FBI Agents Association has condemned the firings, warning that 'firing agents without due process will make the country less safe.' 'There is a review process when employment actions are taken against Agents. FBI leadership committed - both publicly and directly to FBIAA - that they would abide by that process. We urge them to honor that commitment and follow the law,' the group added. The group urged bureau leadership to honor the review process 'so that the FBI could remain independent and apolitical.' The FBI, Patel, and Bongino have declined to comment on the dismissals or the accusations in the Steady State letter. Trump, asked earlier this year if his administration planned to remove employees tied to January 6 probes, called the FBI 'corrupt' and said Patel would 'straighten it out,' but did not answer directly.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
FBI fires senior officials, including former acting head
The FBI has forced out at least two senior officials, including the bureau's former acting director, in its latest purge of leaders who drew the ire of right-wing supporters of President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the dismissals. Brian Driscoll, who served as acting head of the bureau during the first weeks of Trump's second term before the confirmation of Kash Patel, was dismissed by senior leaders this week and will finish his last day Friday, said two people familiar with his departure.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Administration Forces Out F.B.I. Officials
The F.B.I. is forcing out at least two agents, including a former acting head of the bureau, as the director, Kash Patel, continues a purge at the nation's premier law enforcement agency, according to several people familiar with the matter. Brian Driscoll, who served a brief and tumultuous tenure as the acting director in the early days of the Trump administration, was among those being told to leave by Friday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe personnel decisions that have not yet been made public. The reason for Mr. Driscoll's ouster was not entirely clear, but his removal will most likely deal another blow to the morale of the organization, which has faced intense scrutiny after conducting investigations that President Trump's supporters have denounced. Mr. Driscoll had become an unlikely champion of the bureau in the early days of the new administration. He was accidentally catapulted to the director's chair during the transition, where he fought off what was seen as a possible purge of F.B.I. agents who had worked on the investigation into the Capitol attack. Another agent being pushed out is Walter Giardina, who was involved in a number of investigations related to Mr. Trump, including a case that sent the trade adviser Peter Navarro to prison. The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, has criticized Mr. Giardina for what whistle-blowers have claimed is anti-Trump bias. It was not immediately clear if the administration intended to remove other F.B.I. employees who had been targeted by Trump supporters. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Jazeera
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Sandinista veteran, Ortega ally, arrested in Nicaragua corruption probe
Nicaraguan authorities have arrested Bayardo Arce, a senior Sandinista figure and longtime economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, amid an escalating internal purge within the country's ruling elite. According to Nicaraguan media, Arce, 76, was detained early Thursday morning following a raid by dozens of police officers on his home in Managua. He had been under house arrest since Sunday, reports said. The Attorney General's Office, controlled by the Ortega government, announced Wednesday it had launched a corruption probe against Arce, accusing him of 'illegal transactions and negotiations' related to properties and businesses allegedly tied to state interests. Prosecutors claim Arce refused to cooperate or present documentation when questioned. His aide, Ricardo Bonilla, was arrested a day earlier for allegedly refusing to 'render accounts', officials added. The Nicaraguan news outlet Confidencial reported that Arce's detention is part of a broader purge being directed by Vice President Rosario Murillo, Ortega's wife and co-ruler, with the president's full support. Sources close to the exiled opposition believe Murillo is consolidating power in preparation for succession, as Ortega's health visibly deteriorates. In recent public appearances, Ortega, now 79, has appeared frail and unsteady. He is reported to suffer from lupus and kidney failure, raising speculation about who may eventually replace him. Arce is the third prominent Sandinista veteran to be placed under house arrest this year. Henry Ruiz, another historic commander, was confined in March. Humberto Ortega, the president's brother and a former army chief, was under similar restrictions before his death in September 2024. Arce and Daniel Ortega were close comrades during the 1979 Sandinista revolution that toppled United States-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza. After decades in and out of power, Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007 and has remained in office through successive elections that many have criticised as undemocratic. The arrests have sent a chilling message across Nicaragua's political landscape, particularly among veteran revolutionaries who once stood alongside Ortega and are now facing marginalisation or detention.
The Guardian
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Top Chinese general ousted from body that oversees China's military
A top Chinese general has been purged from the body that overseas the Chinese military in the latest sign that Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive has reached the highest echelons of the armed forces. Miao Hua, a senior admiral from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy, was the director of the political work department of the central military commission (CMC), making him responsible for ideology and loyalty within the armed forces. The six-person CMC is one of the most powerful institutions in China and is headed by Xi, China's leader. On Friday, a statement from the Chinese government confirmed that Miao had been dismissed. He was suspended last year and placed under investigation for 'serious violations of discipline', a byword for corruption. He was expelled from the National People's Congress, China's parliament, in April. The dismissal makes Miao one of the highest ranking CMC officials to be purged since the 1960s, and the latest in a rush of senior military figures targeted. He Weidong, a vice-chair of the CMC, is also reported to be under investigation. The CMC is the governing body of the PLA, and also oversees China's coastguard. Xi is the chair of the CMC, as well as being the leader of China's ruling Communist party (CCP) and the president. Miao's dismissal reflects the latest ructions in China's armed forces. Beijing is keen to present an image of strength and stability on the world stage. The purges risk disrupting that image, although at a time when global attention is focused on wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, senior personnel changes in China's military leadership may garner less attention. US-China military dialogue, seen as essential for avoiding accidental conflicts, particularly in the Taiwan strait, have been limited under the presidency of Donald Trump, who has also fired several senior military officials. US military representatives travelled to Shanghai for talks in April, but there have been no public signs of high-ranking meetings. The US and Chinese defence ministers sometimes meet at the Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defence forum held in Singapore last month. But this year China only sent a small, lower-ranking delegation. In the past two years, Xi has purged two defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, two heads of the PLA's rocket force – responsible for missiles and the nuclear arsenal – and two senior CMC officials. Senior aerospace and defence business leaders have also been removed from a CCP advisory body. Many of the recent purges appear to be related to an investigation into corruption in military procurement. Li, who was ousted as defence minister in 2023 and expelled from the CCP last year, previously led the equipment procurement department. Several of his associates from the military and the equipment procurement department were also purged. Miao is the eighth member of the CMC to be ousted since Xi took power in 2012. The expulsion of CMC members was previously unheard of since the era of Mao Zedong. Xi took power with a promise to root out corruption in China, vowing to come after both the 'tigers and the flies'. Since then, millions of officials have been investigated, and hundreds of thousands reportedly penalised, including high profile expulsions or prosecutions. But having now ruled for more than a decade, many of the senior figures coming into the crosshairs of anti-corruption campaigns are people, like Miao and Li, who Xi had personally appointed, raising questions about his ability to suitably vet important appointments. One of the most high-profile of Xi's picks to fall was former foreign minister Qin Gang. Qin disappeared from public view in June 2023, drawing global attention as one of China's most public-facing officials. Speculation that he was under investigation ran rampant until October when Beijing announced he had been removed from his post. No reason was given.
