The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) has issued a rare public warning to Bureau leadership over reports that Special Agents — “case agents and senior leaders alike” — are facing summary firings without the due process guaranteed under the agency’s own procedures.

In a statement posted Wednesday on X by NBC News correspondent Ken Dilanian, the FBIAA said agents “carried out their assignments with professionalism and integrity” and “followed the law,” stressing that the review process for employment actions exists to keep the FBI “independent and apolitical.”

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The Associated Press reported that the group warned that bypassing the process “makes the American people less safe” by distracting agents from their work and potentially targeting them for the cases they were assigned.

Senior Officials Removed

According to Reuters, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press, those dismissed include:

  • Brian Driscoll, former acting FBI Director, who reportedly resisted demands to reveal the names of agents involved in the January 6 investigation
  • Steven Jensen, head of the Washington Field Office
  • Walter Giardina, tied to the prosecutions of Trump associates

The terminations are part of a broader leadership shakeup under FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee. Patel was confirmed earlier this year with a stated mission of “de-weaponizing” the Bureau.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) has called the firings a “disturbing pattern of retaliation.” Supporters of the moves, including Trump-aligned commentators on social media, argue they are necessary to remove politically motivated officials.

The FBI has declined to comment on the dismissals.

Past Due Process Criticism

The FBIAA’s call for strict adherence to its own rules contrasts with longstanding criticisms that the Bureau has itself bypassed due process in politically sensitive investigations. Past controversies documented by the Department of Justice Inspector General and covered by The Dallas Express include:

  • FISA Surveillance Powers — Proposed expansions to Section 702 could compel any company or individual providing services, such as internet routers or cell towers, to assist government surveillance efforts, raising concerns over Fourth Amendment protections.
  • Mar-a-Lago Search — Questions over whether the 2022 FBI raid targeted a declassified congressional intelligence report that undermined the official Russia probe narrative.
  • FBI Informants on January 6 — A Justice Department Inspector General finding that 26 confidential human sources were at the Capitol on January 6, raising questions over the Bureau’s role and treatment of defendants.

Civil liberties advocates and former officials have argued that the FBI selectively applies due process, pursuing aggressive tactics against political targets while shielding its own.

Whether the FBIAA’s legal review leads to reinstatements or court challenges remains to be seen, but the dispute underscores a growing internal rift inside the nation’s top law enforcement agency.