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U.S. NEWS Thursday 6 February 2025
FBI agents who ‘simply followed orders’ in Jan. 6 probes won’t be

fired, a Justice official says

By ERIC TUCKER and ALAN- through pardons and sen-
NA DURKIN RICHER tence commutations to
Associated Press more than 1,500 of the riot-
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI ers who were charged.
agents “who simply followed Adding to the angst was
orders and carried out their that thousands of FBI em-
duties in an ethical manner” ployees who participated
while investigating the Jan. in investigations related to
6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are Jan. 6 were asked over the
not at risk of being fired, a weekend to complete in-
top Justice Department of- depth questionnaires about
ficial said Wednesday in a their involvement in the in-
memo to the bureau work- quiries as the new Trump
force obtained by The As- administration Justice De-
sociated Press. partment weighs disciplin-
But the memo from acting ary actions.
Deputy Attorney General FBI employees filed two
Emil Bove also provides no lawsuits Tuesday to halt the
reassurances for any agents collection and potential
found to have “acted with dissemination of names of
corrupt or partisan intent” investigators.
and suggests those employ- Bove, in his memo on
ees, if there any, have rea- Emil Bove, attorney for former US President Donald Trump, sits Manhattan criminal court during Wednesday, accused
son to be concerned about Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case in New York, Jan. 10, 2025. Driscoll, the FBI’s acting
a highly unusual review pro- chief, of “insubordination”
cess the Trump administra- of an extraordinary Justice special counsel Jack Smith’s focused particular ire on for resisting his request “to
tion Justice Department is Department demand on Fri- team that investigated Don- prosecutions arising from identify the core team” re-
embarking upon to identify day for the names of agents ald Trump, reassign senior the Capitol attack on Jan. sponsible for Jan. 6 investi-
what it says is potential mis- who participated in the in- career Justice Department 6, 2021, when a mob of gations.
conduct. vestigations so that officials officials and force out pros- Trump supporters stormed After Driscoll refused to
The message from Bove, could determine whether ecutors on Jan. 6 cases and the building in a failed effort comply, Bove wrote, he
which also accuses acting additional personnel action multiple top FBI executives. to halt the certification of broadened the request for
FBI Director Brian Driscoll of was merited. Trump and his Republican the 2020 election after the information about all FBI
“insubordination,” is aimed Many within the FBI had allies have long accused Republican then-president employees who participat-
at providing a measure of seen that request as a pre- the Biden administration lost to Democrat Joe Biden. ed in the investigations.
clarity following days of cursor for mass firings par- Justice Department of be- On the first day of Trump’s Driscoll had no response to
turmoil and uncertainty in- ticularly in light of separate ing “weaponized” against second term, he grant- the insubordination allega-

side the bureau as a result moves to fire members of conservatives. They have ed sweeping clemency tion, the FBI said. q
Pro-Trump Arab American group changes its name after the

president’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ comments

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Benjamin Netanyahu at about what the president tine,” Bahbah said. “And a senior adviser on Arab
Associated Press the White House and pro- wants to do with Gaza, ob- so we did not want to be and Middle Eastern affairs.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A posed the U.S. take “own- viously we’re completely behind the curve in terms In the 2024 election, Trump
group that played a key ership” in redeveloping the opposed to the idea of the of pushing for peace, be- became the first Repub-
role in Donald Trump’s area into “the Riviera of transfer of Palestinians from cause that has been our lican presidential can-
voter outreach to the the Middle East.” “The talk anywhere in Historic Pales- objective from the very didate to win Dearborn,
Arab American commu- beginning.” Arab Ameri- Michigan home to the
nity alongside his allies is cans for Trump helped nation’s largest concen-
rebranding itself after the lead voter outreach ef- tration of Arab Americans
president said that the forts for Trump ahead of since 2000 on his way to
U.S. would “take over” the the 2024 presidential elec- winning the state. Trump
Gaza Strip. tion in swing states such as visited Dearborn on Nov. 1.
Bishara Bahbah, chair- Michigan and Arizona. Bahbah said the group
man of the group formerly The group, independent had been thinking about
known as Arab Ameri- from the Trump campaign, changing its name for
cans for Trump, said dur- frequently facilitated “a while” and ultimately
ing a phone interview with meetings between Arab made the decision Tues-
The Associated Press on American community day. But Bahbah had said
Wednesday that the group leaders and Trump’s allies, during a phone interview
would now be called Arab including Richard Grenell, just prior to Trump’s Tues-
Americans for Peace. now serving as Trump’s day night press confer-
The name change came envoy for special missions, ence with Netanyahu
after Trump held a Tuesday Bishara Bahbah, national chairman for Arab Americans for and Massad Boulos, the that the group’s name
press conference along- Trump, answers questions during an interview, Aug. 14, 2024, father-in-law of Trump’s was Arab Americans for
side Israeli Prime Minister in Dearborn, Mich. Associated Press daughter Tiffany and now Trump.q