Politics
Top F.B.I. Agent in New York City Forced Out After Sending Defiant Email
James E. Dennehy, who was the head of the bureau’s most important field office, last month told agents to “dig in” in the face of the Trump administration’s culling of officials it sees as enemies.
The top agent at the F.B.I.’s New York field office said in an email Monday that he had been forced out of his job. His departure follows clashes with Justice Department officials over the Trump administration’s directives.
The agent, James E. Dennehy, was told Friday to retire from his role leading the F.B.I.’s largest field office, delivering another blow to the senior ranks of the bureau. Mr. Dennehy had been running the office since September, but had angered Trump administration officials by supporting bureau leaders who resisted turning over the names of personnel who had investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” Mr. Dennehy wrote in an email to colleagues. “I was not given a reason for this decision. Regardless, I apologize to all of you for not being able to fulfill my commitment to you.”
Mr. Dennehy’s departure comes after weeks of turmoil at the F.B.I., during which nearly a dozen executives at headquarters were removed unexpectedly, leaving a leadership vacuum and confusion on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
