WASHINGTON – On Friday, President Donald Trump’s administration initiated significant cuts at the Justice Department, primarily targeting FBI agents and others involved in the investigations surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection orchestrated by his supporters.

Details of this overhaul, revealed in two memos obtained by Reuters and from three insiders, indicate that this is part of the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the U.S. criminal justice system since his return to office last week. A coalition representing FBI agents issued an uncommon public alert about the risk of numerous job losses at the country’s premier law enforcement agency.

So far, the new administration has dismissed over a dozen prosecutors who previously brought criminal cases against Trump, which were later thrown out. Additionally, it has halted all civil rights and environmental lawsuits and has initiated criminal investigations into state and local leaders who contravene his strict immigration policies.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed top federal prosecutors across the states to compile a list of all the prosecutors and FBI agents involved in the Capitol riot investigations, noted to be the largest probe the Justice Department has undertaken in contemporary U.S. history, according to two sources familiar with the developments.

These sources requested anonymity.

The FBI has also been directed to submit a list by Tuesday of all employees who participated in the criminal cases against Trump, based on a memo reviewed by Reuters.

This memo mandated the resignation or firing of eight FBI officials, claiming their roles in the January 6 investigations represented what Trump has termed the “weaponization” of government.

In a Friday statement, the FBI Agents Association, which includes more than 14,000 current and former FBI agents, condemned the actions as “outrageous.”

“Terminating potentially hundreds of agents would significantly impair the bureau’s capacity to guard the nation against criminal and national security threats and could ultimately jeopardize the bureau and its new leadership’s effectiveness,” the association further stated.

These staff reductions are affecting career FBI personnel and prosecutors in neutral positions who typically serve through various administrations. The bureau has historically maintained political independence and handles sensitive investigations tied to counterterrorism, public corruption, and cybersecurity.

On his first day back in the White House on January 20, Trump granted clemency to nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the Capitol disturbance while attempting to prevent Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed lead federal prosecutor in Washington, has since begun an investigation into the applicability of felony obstruction charges in cases against individuals alleged to have participated in the January 6 attack.

Key Officials in Major Cities Affected

At least five senior FBI officials from major U.S. cities—including Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, New Orleans, and Las Vegas—have been ordered to resign or face termination, according to one source. Another source noted that a sixth senior FBI official from Los Angeles received the same directive.

Additionally, five top officials at FBI headquarters were also commanded to depart or risk being fired earlier in the week, another source informed Reuters.

Officials from the FBI and Justice Department declined to comment on these sweeping changes.

“This represents a blatant and unfiltered exercise of presidential power meant to cleanse the government of anyone who prioritized the Constitution over allegiance to Donald Trump,” said Bradley Moss, an attorney representing federal employees.

“Given the multitude of threats facing our homeland, it is deeply concerning that the Trump administration is seemingly eliminating many of the most seasoned agents who are our first line of defense,” stated Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner in a press release.

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, assured a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday during his confirmation hearing that he would defend the bureau’s 37,000 employees from “political retribution” if confirmed.

On the same day, the Justice Department announced it was investigating the release of an immigrant living unlawfully in the U.S. by a sheriff’s office in upstate New York. This seems to mark the first application of a new policy to pursue criminal investigations against state and local officials who disregard Trump’s directives.

Bove, in a subsequent memo on Friday reviewed by Reuters, mandated the termination of all prosecutors hired on a probationary basis for roles in cases linked to January 6, stating that Trump labeled their efforts as “a grave national injustice.”

As a result of this directive, approximately 20 individuals were dismissed, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Bove further accused the Biden administration of hurrying to transition the status of these probationary prosecutors to permanent following Trump’s election victory in a bid to preserve their positions.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O’Brien)