FBI official Trump tapped as acting director refusing to approve his mass firings: report

31 January

President Donald Trump is now aiming to purge the FBI of hundreds of agents who helped investigate him and participants in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. But the man Trump temporarily put in charge of the FBI reportedly isn't going along with his plan.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Trump's proposed mass firings ran into a roadblock in the form of Brian Driscoll, who "refused to endorse the effort," according to the Post's sources. The initiative to identify and fire the agents in question is reportedly being headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House, though Trump is apparently distancing himself from the effort.

When asked during a recent Oval Office press gaggle if he ordered the firings, Trump said: "No, but we have some very bad people there... I wasn’t involved in that. But if they want to fire some people, it is fine with me."

Firing FBI agents is a lengthy process, as the bureau allows agents the ability to appeal any termination in two different stages, and entitles them to have a written justification outlining what rules or standards they've been accused of violating. Replacing those agents will also be difficult, as FBI agents have to undergo an intense 18-week training program before being deployed in the field. And any investigations the fired agents were working on will be sidelined until their replacements can be trained and briefed.

Mark Zaid, who is an attorney specializing in federal employment law, told the Post that the proposed mass firings at the FBI — along with his threats to career DOJ prosecutors — could create a legal headache for the Trump administration.

“What this administration is doing is they are acting so recklessly and with disregard to any laws or norms, they are making a ton of errors in order to satisfy their outspoken base that seek retribution,” he said. “And they are creating a lot of legal claims.”

Driscoll's elevation to acting director of the bureau came as a surprise to both Driscoll and Robert Kissane, who was initially tapped for the job. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump transition team told Kissane he would be acting director and Driscoll — who reportedly signs his name "Drizz" — would serve as acting deputy director. However, a mixup led to Driscoll being listed on the FBI's website as acting director with Kissane as deputy. Rather than correct the error, the two agreed to swap roles until FBI Director-designate Kash Patel is confirmed by the full Senate.

Click here to read the Post's report in its entirety, and click here to read the Journal's full article (subscriptions required).

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