The FBI has terminated the former acting director who was at the helm when the Trump administration began.
Brian Driscoll, who returned to his position within the FBI afterward, was instructed to leave by Friday.
Driscoll was seen as a strong advocate for the bureau’s employees. He declined to oversee a list of FBI agents involved in the investigation of the Capitol riots on January 6th.
This decision led to a lawsuit from FBI personnel, who were concerned that the list could be misused to target agents and result in retaliation.
The FBI has not commented on the situation.
The firing of Driscoll seems to be part of a broader personnel overhaul.
Additionally, Steve Jensen, the acting director for the Washington Field Office, was dismissed recently. Walter Giardina, an agent involved in several cases related to Trump, also lost his position. Giardina had previously assisted special advisor Robert Mueller and supported the prosecution of former White House aide Peter Navarro.
Giardina has become a focus for Senate Attorney General Chuck Grassley and has been asked to provide documents related to his investigations.
This shakeup could impact morale within the FBI, especially as numerous career leaders have been let go.
In February, the Trump administration removed five top career officials from the FBI, alongside several heads of field offices, including leadership in Washington, D.C.
Driscoll resisted demands to hand over the list of agents to Emil Bove, who took on a significant role in the Department of Justice.
“We recognize that this request implicates thousands of employees nationwide who are involved in these investigations,” Driscoll noted in an email to staff.
“I’m one of those employees.”
Having been with the FBI for over two decades, Driscoll most recently led the Newark Field Office and was previously part of its elite hostage rescue team.
His resistance to the Trump administration, informally referred to as Drizz, has inspired various memes, including one depicting him as a saint and another questioning, “What does Drizz do?”
