The FBI Rebels – The Fight To Take Back This Government Is A Long Way From Over

Amongst Trump supporters these days you hear the phrase “We Are So Back” a lot. It means the people have regained control of their government. We are winning. The opposition is on the run.

Not so fast. It has been only a matter of weeks and already we are seeing signs of major resistance within the government to the sitting President of the United States. I am not talking about food dragging or obfuscation. I am talking about senior officials saying out loud that they refuse to comply with lawful orders.

Take a look at the FBI.

FBI agents who were involved in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case in several different field offices were escorted away from their desks over the weekend. Given that the Mar-a-Lago raid was part of an unprecedented effort by the Biden administration to imprison a political opponent that seems fair. The agents in question have not been charged with anything. They have simply been put on leave while the new administration has time to sort out who did exactly what and what good faith basis if any existed to believe the raid was justified by national security concerns.

Still, the move to make good on Trump’s pledge to fight the weaponization of our justice system seems to have energized resistance within the Bureau. Acting Attorney-General Emil Bove has requested a list of all the agents who were involved with the January 6^th cases. Acting Director Brian Driscoll has refused to comply.

The memo to Driscoll stated, “These lists should include relevant supervisory personnel in FBI regional offices and field divisions, as well as at FBI Headquarters."

“We understand that this request encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts,” Driscoll responded. “I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director (Rob) Kissane.” He then added that he was reluctant to comply with Bove’s request. When Bove repeated his demand Driscoll flat out refused to provide the names.

Driscoll’s actions are perhaps best understood against the backdrop of what is happening elsewhere inside the FBI. Recently, James E. Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, sent an email to FBI employees in response to the DOJ’s request for the names of FBI personnel who participated in the probe of the January 6, 2021, incident at the U.S. Capitol. In that email, Dennehy urged FBI employees to “dig in” to resist the Trump campaign.

Dennehy went on to refer to his service in the Marines and to say, “Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy.” Dennehy didn’t send that message in a private email in a personal capacity. He sent it to his workforce as the head of the largest FBI field station in the country. Ten percent of all FBI personnel work in New York.

Dennehy also explicitly praised the Bureau’s interim leaders, Driscoll and another senior FBI official Robert C. Kissane, for resisting DOJ requests to provide lists of FBI personnel, calling them “warriors.” Dennehy did not conclude his comments by tendering his resignation. He made clear that he intended to remain in place and that he personally would also “dig in”.

From the sidelines, former FBI Director Comey has also joined the fight. In a social media post, he advised serving FBI personnel to “fight […] to protect your country and to keep your jobs.” He then added: “Don’t let the darkness of bad people steal the joy of public service.”

Meanwhile, the FBI Agents Association, which represents more than 14,000 current and retired agents, has joined the fray. It sent a letter to lawmakers on Capitol Hill raising what it called “urgent concerns about recent actions taken by acting officials at the Department of Justice that threaten the careers of thousands of FBI Special Agents and risk disrupting the Bureau’s essential work.” One wonders where these concerned citizens were when people who took selfies of themselves in the Capitol were being imprisoned or parents opposing pornography in schools were being labeled as “domestic violent extremists”.

“Put simply, Special Agents who risk their lives protecting this country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized for carrying out the orders they were given by their superiors in the FBI,” the Association’s letter states.

“These actions, which lack transparency and due process, are creating dangerous distractions, imperiling ongoing investigations, and undermining the Bureau’s ability to work with state, local, and international partners to make America safe again.”

There is no sign that this resistance is abating. Yesterday there was word of a protest within FBI headquarters against the actions of the Trump administration. That would be serving federal law enforcement, on duty, inside a federal building protesting against the actions of a sitting President. Whatever that is it is perilously close to an act of sedition.

This is going to continue. It is also going to appear in other federal agencies. Changing the man or woman at the top is the first step. It must be followed not simply by orders and pronouncements but by significant changes in senior personnel. You cannot expect the same people who were the problem under Biden to be part of the solution.

The FBI is rebelling. Other agencies will follow suit. The fight to take back the government is a long way from over.