FBI Agents Reassigned Following Handling of Threat Investigation

Two experienced FBI agents based in Washington, DC, have been reassigned after their approach to an investigation involving threats directed at conservative podcaster Katie Miller, who is married to senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, as reported by CNN late Saturday.

The network, citing “two people familiar with the move,” indicated that Michael Burgwald, the special agent overseeing counterterrorism at the bureau’s D.C. field office, and his deputy, Courtland Rae, were removed from their roles after investigators concluded that the harassing phone calls Katie Miller allegedly received did not merit further investigation.

According to CNN:

The team at the field office determined that the reported harassing calls did not meet the necessary criteria for an FBI investigation, and no links to terrorism were found, the sources stated. This decision did not please bureau leadership, leading to the removal of the two senior agents.

The report suggested that the decision to reassign the agents may have been influenced by FBI director Kash Patel, who is described as a “fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump.” The report stated that Patel has previously “fired, demoted, or forced into retirement countless career employees” who managed past investigations involving Trump and his associates.

Bloomberg Law also confirmed the reassignment and stated that the FBI had labeled writer Ben Penn’s reporting as “FAKE News.”

In a statement posted on the official FBI’s Rapid Response X account, Darren Cox, a senior executive for the D.C. Field Office, began with “Dear FAKE News…” and clarified:

This decision was not directed by Director Patel. It was a personnel decision made solely at the Washington field office level, based on our ongoing assessment of mission priorities. Any contrary suggestion is untrue.

Bloomberg Law reported that the reassignment was corroborated by “three people familiar with the matter,” stating that both agents were demoted and sent to the bureau’s headquarters on Friday:

FBI leadership removed two counterterrorism leaders due to dissatisfaction with their investigation of allegedly threatening phone calls made to senior White House aide Stephen Miller’s wife, said three individuals acquainted with the matter.

Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, mentioned to Bloomberg Law that Katie and Stephen Miller had no direct interaction with the two agents. She added, “Senior leadership at the FBI determined they were hindering investigations into severe threats and made a unilateral decision to remove them.”

CNN suggested that the investigation was initiated in response to flyers criticizing the Millers that were posted in their neighborhood, with unidentified “career agents” arguing that it was an unproductive use of FBI resources.

However, Bloomberg Law highlighted that the Millers and their young children had relocated from their Arlington home to military housing last fall amid law enforcement’s investigations into protest activities aimed at the family, which they perceived as criminal threats.

“The Millers did not move due to protests,” Bis clarified in her statement to that outlet. “There was a detailed, well-documented campaign of stalking, doxing, and threats targeting their residence.”