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| (NBC News) |
As founder of this progressive blog, which is approaching its 18th year of continuous publication (Legal Schnauzer launched on June 3, 2007), I never considered trusting the U.S. presidency to Donald Trump. His manifest shortcomings, including a lack of temperament and intellect to handle the job, were obvious to me (and many of my readers), long before election day on Nov. 5, 2024. I wouldn't have trusted Trump to lead us anywhere, except maybe over a cliff. Now, it looks like our over-the-cliff moment might be here before even the most ardent anti-Trumpers expected it. Events of the past four days have caused a foul odor to emanate from TrumpLand. It is so foul that MAGAs -- and other White right-wing types, who largely are responsible for Trump's return to the White House, even though we had four years' of evidence from a first term that he couldn't handle the job -- would be wise to set aside their faith in Trump and pay attention to the mounting evidence that something nasty, maybe dangerous, is going on with the Trump administration.
The first such sign came last Friday (1/30/25), with publication of a New York Times report under the headline "Trump Administration Shocks Senior F.B.I. Ranks by Moving to Replace Them; Top officials have been told to retire or be fired in the coming days, fueling fear within an agency that has been a target of President Trump and Kash Patel, his nominee to be F.B.I. director. Reporters Adam Goodman and Devlin Barrett write:
A handful of senior F.B.I. employees have been told to resign in a matter of days or be fired, as the Trump administration moves to shake up the agency’s upper ranks, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The steps came as Kash Patel, the president’s nominee to lead the agency, sought to assure lawmakers during a contentious, hourslong Senate confirmation hearing that he would not begin a campaign of retribution or look backward by pursuing perceived rivals. It is unclear whether he was informed of the decisions, which were disclosed on the condition of anonymity to describe personnel matters.
The employees given the apparent ultimatum had been promoted under Christopher A. Wray, who stepped down as F.B.I. director this month.
In an email to colleagues, one of the senior agents said he had learned he would be dismissed “from the rolls of the F.B.I.” as soon as Monday morning.
“I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock,” he wrote.
The ultimatum came as the FBI has been going through a stage of upheaval after the resignation of Director Christopher Wray, who Trump appointed to the position. Goldman and Barrett write:
Senior F.B.I. agents had been bracing for potentially swift changes under President Trump given Mr. Patel’s past promise to reshape the institution. He has vowed to empty out the F.B.I. headquarters building and turn it into a museum.
The move is remarkable in part because it is happening before a director has been confirmed to take charge of the bureau, and the quick and unexpected nature of the requests has left employees badly shaken.
F.B.I. directors have more latitude than most agency chiefs they place into senior positions, but they typically make changes gradually. Until senators vote on Mr. Patel’s nomination, Brian Driscoll is the bureau’s acting director.
The decision by the Trump administration echoes the moves rapidly underway at the Justice Department, where career prosecutors, including top officials who hold significant sway over how the agency makes charging decisions, have been reassigned or fired.
At the F.B.I., some of the senior officials who have been asked to leave are at headquarters while others work in the field. Some have already taken steps to retire and exit the agency, including an agent who worked on the F.B.I.’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and another who oversaw an investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents.
A person familiar with the personnel changes said the top agent at the Washington field office, the second-largest in the bureau, was also given an ultimatum on Thursday. He had planned to retire, though he intended to stay longer at the bureau to help with the transition. But his plans were cut short.
Still more are worried they will be pushed out of the agency or demoted.
During Mr. Patel’s confirmation hearing, Senator Cory Booker raised the abrupt dismissals of nearly a dozen career prosecutors at the Justice Department who worked on the criminal investigations into Mr. Trump under the special counsel Jack Smith and whether similar moves would extend to the F.B.I.
“Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, F.B.I. agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations?” asked Mr. Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, after reminding Mr. Patel that he was under oath.
Stating that he had not been involved in the decisions at the Justice Department, Mr. Patel replied, “I am not aware of that, Senator.”
CNN earlier reported that F.B.I. officials had been demoted or resigned.
Are the actions noted above the only signs that something foul, maybe illegal, has taken root in the Trump administration? No, and we will be examining others in upcoming posts. Given that Trump is a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, confessed sexual abuser, and marital cheater (with a porn star, while his wife was home tending to an infant) no American should be surprised at what Trump might pull next.)
