Trump purges FBI: top officials ordered to resign
Kyiv • UNN
Several senior FBI officials appointed by Christopher Wray have been ordered to resign or retire. The changes affected about five “executive assistant directors” who are in charge of key investigations.
Several senior FBI officials appointed to leadership positions by former Director Christopher Wray were ordered to resign or retire on Thursday. If they do not, they will be demoted or reassigned.
This was reported by NBC News, one current and three former officials of the bureau, reports UNN.
The purges affected about half a dozen “executive assistant directors” - some of the FBI's highest-ranking executives who investigate criminal cases, national security issues, and cybercrime. They are civil servants who did not receive their positions through political appointment, so they cannot be fired without legal grounds.
A current FBI official told NBC News that these personnel changes will “cause huge disruption” to the bureau. At the same time, a former FBI official who has spoken to people within the agency said there is a lot of discontent among employees because those fired have nothing to do with politics. The FBI declined to comment on the personnel decisions, which were first reported by CNN.
Christopher Wray, who was appointed FBI Director by Donald Trump in 2017 for a 10-year term, resigned at the end of the Biden administration. The FBI turnover comes amid massive layoffs in the first 10 days of the new Trump administration.
Last week, Trump fired 18 inspectors general, including the internal auditors of the State Department, Pentagon, Department of Labor, and Department of Health and Human Services. He justified the firings as follows: “Some of them were unfair or did not perform their duties properly.
The Trump administration has also fired lawyersat the Department of Justice who were working on cases against him, raising concerns about his intentions to crack down on those who criticized his actions.
Trump has already decided on the new head of the FBI - Kash Patel is to be appointed. During a Senate hearing on Thursday, Patel said that if he is confirmed, the bureau “will not take punitive action.
Recall
US Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who led federal cases against Trump for canceling the 2020 presidential election and mishandling classified documents, has resigned from the Department of Justice.
