Overview

• Brian Driscoll, who served as acting FBI director before Kash Patel’s confirmation, and Steve Jensen, head of the Washington Field Office, were dismissed on August 7.
• Both resisted a February directive from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove demanding thousands of names of agents involved in January 6 cases.
• Their removal follows weeks of federal law enforcement reorganization under President Trump aimed at replacing perceived critics with loyalists.
• Earlier this year, lawsuits by FBI agents and a court-approved agreement limited public release of personnel lists sought by the Justice Department.
• Civil liberties groups and former officials warn the shake-up further erodes the FBI’s independence under politically aligned leadership.