A group of FBI agents who assisted in criminal investigations stemming from the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol filed suit Tuesday in an effort to block the Justice Department from assembling lists of agents for potential disciplinary actions or firings.
The class-action lawsuit, filed anonymously by the agents Tuesday afternoon in D.C. federal court, includes screenshots showing a survey that was sent this week about their actions related to the Jan. 6 cases.
“Plaintiffs are employees of the FBI who worked on Jan. 6 and/or Mar-a-Lago cases, and who have been informed that they are likely to be terminated in the very near future (the week of February 3-9, 2025) for such activity,” the lawsuit said. “They intend to represent a class of at least 6,000 current and former FBI agents and employees who participated in some manner in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and abuses of power by Donald Trump, or by those acting at his behest.”
The suit specifically seeks to enjoin the DOJ from “aggregation, storage, reporting, publication or dissemination of any list or compilation of information that would identify FBI agents and other personnel, and tie them directly to Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago case activities,” referring to the Capitol attack and the probe into President Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021.
The top organization that represents FBI agents and employees also filed suit Tuesday against the Justice Department over what they allege is the “unlawful retaliation” against agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases.
The FBI Agents Association’s lawsuit requests a similar injunction prohibiting the release of the list requested by DOJ leadership.
“Plaintiffs seek this Court’s protection from Defendants’ anticipated retaliatory decision to expose their personal information for opprobrium and potential vigilante action by those who they were investigating,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit cites multiple instances of Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump who, in the wake of their release from prison, have targeted specific FBI agents who previously investigated them.
“The DOJ’s plan to release the names of FBI agents who investigated January 6th is an appalling attack on non-partisan public servants who have dedicated their lives to protecting our communities and our nation,” Chris Mattei, an attorney for the FBI agents, said in a statement. “It is clear that the threatened disclosure is a prelude to an unlawful purge of the FBI solely driven by the Trump Administration’s vengeful and political motivations.”
The Justice Department, under leadership appointed by the Trump administration, has asked for information about potentially thousands of FBI employees across the country who were involved in work related to investigations stemming from the Jan. 6 attack.
According an email sent to the FBI workforce on Friday, and obtained by ABC News, the requested information was to be provided by Tuesday afternoon to the office of the acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, whose office will then conduct a review to determine if any “personnel actions” are warranted.
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