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FBI ousts former acting director, agent involved in J6 prosecutions, with more expected
By Breanne Deppisch, David Spunt, Jake Gibson
Published August 07, 2025
The FBI on Thursday is ousting at least three officials, including the former acting director and an officer involved in the January 6 investigations, Fox News has learned.
Former FBI acting director, Brian Driscoll, is among those being forced out of the bureau, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News, along with Walter Giardina, a special agent at the bureau who played a role in the investigation of Trump trade advisor, Peter Navarro, and Steven Jensen, the acting director in charge of the Washington Field Office.
Driscoll, for his part, served as acting director of the FBI prior to the confirmation of FBI Director Kash Patel, and Jensen played a key role in the January 6 investigations.
Senior FBI officials told the agents in question that they needed to leave by Friday, with no specific reason given to them individually.
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Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrives for a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Pete Kiehart/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
One individual with knowledge of the removals described it as "retribution."
Individuals familiar with the matter told Fox News that more ousters are expected at the bureau by the end of the week, though the exact number of personnel included, or their roles at the bureau, are unclear.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro refused to answer several questions from Fox News about the FBI ousters during a press conference Thursday morning.
Still, news of their removals comes months after thousands of FBI personnel in February were forced to fill out a sprawling questionnaire asking employees detailed questions about any role they may have played in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots — ranging from whether they had testified in any criminal trials to when they last participated in investigation-related activity.
President Trump named Brian Driscoll to serve as acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (FBI)
The questionnaire, first reported by Fox News Digital, sparked urgent fears about politicization within the bureau, and concern that it could be used to retaliate against agents involved in the January 6 investigations.
Those concerns reached a fever pitch later that month, after then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the bureau to compile a list of all current and former personnel who worked on investigations related to January 6, 2021, riots case.
That information included details on "thousands" of employees, including their unique identifying number, their current title and their role and title at the time of the investigation.
A group of nine current FBI agents and employees in U.S. District Court later filed a lawsuit over the list, citing fears that it could threaten their careers and risks disrupting the bureau's essential work.
Former Justice Department officials have cited concerns that the probe or any retaliatory measures carried out as a result could have a chilling effect on the work of the FBI, including its more than 52 separate field offices.
President Donald Trump listens at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans' access to their medical records in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association (FBIAA), a voluntary professional association that represents more than 14,000 active and retired FBI special agents, told Fox News in a statement on Thursday that they are "deeply concerned" about the reported oustings and said they are "actively reviewing all legal options" to defend FBI agents who were summarily fired from the bureau without cause or process.
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The FBIAA is "deeply concerned by reports that FBI Special Agents—case agents and senior leaders alike—are going to be summarily fired without due process for doing their jobs investigating potential federal crimes," the group said in a statement.
The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
"Agents are not given the option to pick and choose their cases, and these agents carried out their assignments with professionalism and integrity. Most importantly, they followed the law," the FBIAA said.
Former FBI and Department of Justice officials previously warned in interviews with Fox News Digital that such firings, while within Trump's authority, could have a chilling effect on the rest of the bureau should the administration move to get rid of the personnel involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.
The Trump administration has not yet said whether it will move to take action against the individuals involved.
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In February, President Donald Trump declined to answer questions over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is "corrupt" and that then-FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, would "straighten it out."
The FBI did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-ousts-former-acting-director-agent-involved-j6-prosecutions-more-expected