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U.S. NEWS Monday 3 February 2025
FBI employees questioned about involvement in Jan. 6 cases as

Justice Department weighs firings

By ERIC TUCKER and ALAN- agents do not select the
NA DURKIN RICHER cases they are assigned to
Associated Press work on, do not historically
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thou- switch positions or receive
sands of FBI employees any sort of discipline be-
who participated in inves- cause of their participation
tigations related to the in politically sensitive cases
Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. and especially because
Capitol are being asked to there’s been no evidence
complete in-depth ques- any FBI agents or lawyers
tionnaires about their in- who investigated or prose-
volvement in the inquiries cuted the cases engaged
as the Trump administration in misconduct.
Justice Department weighs Of the more than 1,500
disciplinary actions that people who were charged
could result in firings. with federal crimes in the
The questions, which were Jan. 6 riot, more than 1,000
described to The Associ- people pleaded guilty, in-
ated Press by a person fa- cluding more than 200 who
miliar with the matter, ask admitted to assault. Anoth-
employees to describe er roughly 250 people were
their office and title and An FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Ore., convicted of crimes by a
to specify their involve- Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. judge or a jury after a trial.
ment in the Jan. 6 investi- Associated Press Some 4,000 agents, ana-
gations, including whether lysts and other employees
they participated in search to Jan. 6, when pro-Trump before joining the adminis- last month of several key are believed to have been
warrants, conducted inter- rioters who stormed the tration, said Justice Depart- career Justice Department sent the questionnaires,
views and testified at trial. Capitol triggered a violent ment officials would then officials, as well as the fir- said the person, who in-
The survey is in keeping and bloody clash with law carry out a “review process ings of roughly two dozen sisted on anonymity to dis-
with an extraordinary Jus- enforcement in a massive to determine whether any employees at the U.S. at- cuss internal communica-
tice Department direc- attempt to block the certi- additional personnel ac- torney’s office in Washing- tions. The questionnaires
tive Friday for the names, fication of election results. tions are necessary.” ton who participated in the were sent on Sunday, with
titles and offices of all FBI A memo from acting That’s on top of the forced Jan. 6 investigations. a Monday deadline for
employees who worked Deputy Attorney General departures of more than The scrutiny of career completion.q
on investigations related Emil Bove, who defended a half-dozen senior FBI ex- agents is highly unusual I
Trump in his criminal cases ecutives, the reassignment given that rank-and-file FBI
USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk’s DOGE

from classified info, officials say

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER DOGE, said in a separate
Associated Press post that no classified ma-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The terial was accessed “with-
Trump administration has out proper security clear-
placed two top security ances.”
chiefs at the U.S. Agency The White House did not im-
for International Develop- mediately respond to a re-
ment on leave after they quest for comment.
refused to turn over classi- It comes a day after DOGE
fied material in restricted carried out a similar opera-
areas to Elon Musk’s gov- tion at the Treasury Depart-
ernment-inspection teams, ment, gaining access to
a current and a former U.S. sensitive information includ-
official told The Associated ing the Social Security and
Press on Sunday. Medicare customer pay-
Members of Musk’s Depart- ment systems. The Wash-
ment of Government Ef- ington Post reported that a
ficiency, known as DOGE, senior Treasury official had
eventually did gain access resigned over Musk’s team
Saturday to the aid agen- A man walks past boxes of USAID humanitarian aid at a warehouse at the Tienditas International accessing sensitive infor-
cy’s classified information, Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 21, 2019, on the border with Venezuela. mation.
which includes intelligence Associated Press Musk formed DOGE in co-
reports, the former official Vorhees and deputy Brian on condition of anonymity criminal organization. Time operation with the Trump
said. McGill — believed them- because they were not au- for it to die.” He followed administration with the
Musk’s DOGE crew lacked selves legally obligated to thorized to share the infor- with multiple additional stated goal of finding ways
high-enough security clear- deny access. mation. posts on X about the aid to fire federal workers, cut
ance to access that infor- The current and former U.S. Musk on Sunday respond- agency. programs and slash federal
mation, so the two USAID officials had knowledge ed to an X post about the Kate Miller, who serves regulations.q
security officials — John of the incident and spoke news by saying, “USAID is a on an advisory board for