FBI braces for Tuesday deadline to turn over names of employees for possible firing

Senior FBI leaders are bracing for a Tuesday deadline as they grapple with whether to hand over information demanded by the Justice Department regarding bureau employees who worked cases involving the January 6 Capitol riot, multiple sources tell CNN.

Senior FBI leaders are bracing for a Tuesday deadline as they grapple with whether to hand over information demanded by the Justice Department regarding bureau employees who worked cases involving the January 6 Capitol riot, multiple sources tell CNN. As of Monday, acting FBI director Brian Driscoll and other senior FBI leaders had not finalized a decision on whether to comply with the order, sources said. As CNN reported, Driscoll was recently instructed by Trump appointees at DOJ to provide them with information on all employees who worked January 6 cases by 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The demand has caused consternation among FBI employees who fear it is meant to amass a list of line-level personnel for possible termination by the Trump administration, after multiple senior bureau officials were recently forced to retire. Various possible courses of action have been discussed in recent days among senior FBI leaders, sources said, including: Driscoll telling DOJ he is ultimately responsible for all bureau employees; the FBI handing over a list of names containing only senior FBI executives; or whether to provide a fulsome list of names and details for all employees involved in the sprawling riot investigation as demanded. In a note Friday to all FBI employees obtained by CNN, Driscoll said, “We are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always.”