- The Trump administration surveyed thousands of FBI agents about their roles relating to the 2021 Capitol riots. All agents had to complete the survey by Monday, Feb. 3.
- The survey asked agents to detail rank, participation in Jan. 6 investigations and what capacity.
- Some agents feared the survey would lead to termination.
The Justice Department has asked thousands of FBI employees to fill out a survey about their roles in the investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The deadline to complete the 12-question survey, aimed at understanding the role individuals played, is 3 p.m. ET Monday, Feb. 3.
What does the survey ask?
The survey asks FBI officials to detail their rank, whether they participated in Jan. 6 investigations and in what capacity.
Politico reported the survey inquired whether agents handled arrests, led operations, testified in trials or worked as case agents to the roughly 1,600 defendants charged.
The order heightened fears of mass firings at the FBI under the Trump administration.
On Saturday, Feb. 1, the FBI Agents Association, which represents bureau employees but is not a union, issued a statement saying they believe the move is meant to force agents to resign.
What should agents do?
The Association’s statement said some people have already started to “pack up their desks.”
However, the association told agents worried about possible termination, “Do NOT resign or offer to resign. While we would never advocate for physical non-compliance, you need to be clear your removal is not voluntary.”
What’s the Trump administration saying?
In a message to FBI staff on Saturday, Acting Director Brian Driscoll said agents do not pick the cases they are assigned to work on and that merely working on a controversial matter is not evidence of misconduct.
“Let it be absolutely clear that we do not view anyone’s identification on one of these lists as an indicator of misconduct,” Driscoll added.
