- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed lawsuits filed by FBI agents aiming to prevent the Trump administration from potentially releasing the names of agents involved in investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled on Thursday that the fears of public identification were too speculative to justify legal action. She stated that the agents failed to show that the Justice Department was about to engage in the conduct they feared.
The FBI Agents Association, which supported one of the lawsuits, expressed disappointment and said it is reviewing its legal options. The group emphasized that protecting agent safety was the primary goal of the legal action. Despite the ruling, the Justice Department has said it has no immediate plans to publicly release the agents' names but has not ruled it out entirely.
The dismissed lawsuits were filed in February by two groups of FBI agents who acted anonymously. They took legal action after Justice Department leadership ordered the FBI to compile a list of over 5,000 agents involved in the Capitol riot investigation. FBI leadership initially resisted the directive.
Lawyers representing the agents argued that disclosing their names could endanger them, citing safety risks from individuals previously charged in the riot and fears of political retaliation. They also claimed the disclosure would violate federal privacy laws and constitutional rights. These concerns were heightened by former President Trump’s pardons of many January 6 defendants and pledges by his administration to reveal alleged political bias within the Justice Department.
Justice Department lawyers countered that the agents had not provided enough evidence that their identities were actually in danger of being released. The department also assured that agents who acted appropriately during the probe would not face disciplinary action.
Comments
Post a Comment