The Justice Department agreed to withhold the names of FBI agents involved in the January 6th Capitol attack investigation after a court order and agreement with a group of unnamed agents. The department will only release the list with two days' notice to the agents. The agreement came following lawsuits filed by anonymous FBI agents and the FBI Agents Association seeking to prevent the public disclosure of the agents' identities.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that it would not publicly release the names of FBI agents who participated in the investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. This decision came after a court order was filed following an agreement reached between the Justice Department and a group of unnamed FBI agents.
The agreement states that the government will not disclose a list of agents' names compiled by the FBI and transmitted to the Justice Department on Tuesday unless they provide a two-day notice to the agents. The Justice Department and FBI agents agreed to this order after a hearing on Thursday as part of two lawsuits filed earlier in the week by anonymous FBI agents and the FBI Agents Association. These lawsuits sought to prevent the Justice Department from releasing the list of agents. Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, expressed her satisfaction with the court order, stating that it was a step in the right direction to protect FBI agents who have dedicated their careers to upholding the law and defending the country. She emphasized that the agreement provided critical safeguards against immediate public exposure and retaliation, allowing agents to remain focused on protecting the American people. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who is overseeing the two cases, issued a brief administrative stay preventing the Justice Department from disclosing the list to anyone outside the department while lawyers for the FBI agents and the department negotiated overnight. The hearing, scheduled to continue on Friday, was canceled due to the agreement. Both parties agreed to file briefs regarding a more permanent injunction later this month and into March, with a hearing set for March 27. Last week, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll to compile a list of current and former FBI employees assigned to the January 6 investigation 'to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.' This order prompted FBI agents across the country to complete questionnaires about their involvement in the January 6 and Trump probes as part of a Justice Department evaluation of the workforce. The Justice Department confirmed in the latest court filing that it informed lawyers for the FBI agents involved in the lawsuits that a record pairing employee identification numbers on the list with the corresponding names of FBI personnel had been given to the Justice Department. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, in a separate memo, assured FBI employees that agents who followed orders and conducted their duties throughout the January 6 probes in an 'ethical manner' would not face any disciplinary action. However, Bove revealed that acting FBI leadership had refused to comply with initial efforts to identify certain agents tied to the probes, which he termed instances of 'insubordination.' The Justice Department has not disclosed what personnel actions, if any, it might take based on the list of names. Lawyers for the FBI agents involved in the lawsuit have expressed concerns that the purpose of the list is to identify agents for 'adverse employment action' as a consequence of their work on the January 6 investigations.
JANUARY 6TH FBI JUSTICE DEPARTMENT COURT ORDER PUBLIC RELEASE AGENT NAMES
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