- A top FBI official said the Trump administration forced him to retire from the agency late last week. Former FBI special agent James Dennehy said the administration didn’t give him a reason for the request.
- Dennehy had previously stated he would “dig in” when rumors began circulating about potential mass firings at the FBI.
- The Trump administration has yet to comment on Dennehy’s departure.
Full Story
The FBI special agent overseeing the bureau’s largest field office has abruptly retired. James Dennehy emailed co-workers about his “forced” retirement late last week.
What did Dennehy’s email say?
According to CNN, Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Division, wrote that he was informed late Friday, Feb. 28, that he needed to submit his retirement papers. He said he followed through with the request and submitted the papers.
However, the administration didn’t give him a reason to retire.
Last month, Dennehy sent a message to those same co-workers as news of mass firings at the FBI made headlines. Dennehy indicated he would “dig in” as the Trump administration terminated good people from the FBI and targeted others for doing their jobs.
What was the controversy involving the current administration?
At the time, the Trump administration had ordered the FBI to produce a list of more than 5,000 agents and employees, providing names of those part of the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
His departure comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that the FBI New York field office withheld thousands of pages of documents related to now deceased, reputed sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi has demanded that new FBI Director Kash Patel launch an investigation into why the agency didn’t originally turn over all the documents.
Is there any official comment or reaction about his retirement?
Neither the FBI nor the Trump administration has commented on Dennehy’s departure.
