Top FBI Official Who Wanted To ‘Dig In’ Against Trump Admin Ousted From Bureau

James Dennehy, the head of the FBI’s New York field office, was forced out of the bureau on Monday.

Dennehy’s ouster comes weeks after he sent an email to his staff encouraging them to “dig in” as the Trump administration probed the FBI investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Dennehy was directed to resign or be fired on Friday, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” Dennehy said in an email to staff on Monday. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”

“I have an immense feeling of pride — to have represented an office of professionals who will always do the right thing for the right reasons; who will always seek the truth while upholding the rule of law,” Dennehy said, according to CNN. “I’ve been told many times in my life, ‘When you find yourself in a hole, sometimes it’s best to quit digging.’ Screw that. I will never stop defending this joint. I’ll just do it willingly and proudly from outside the wire.”

Dennehy has led the New York field office since September. Last month, after Department of Justice officials requested the names of FBI agents who worked on January 6 cases, Dennehy encouraged his staff to resist.

“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy,” Dennehy wrote to staff at the time.

Dennehy said it was “time for me to dig in” after eight FBI leaders, including the head of the Washington field office, were pushed out of the bureau for their roles in investigations into President Donald Trump.

Dennehy, alongside former acting Director Brian Driscoll and former acting Deputy Director Rob Kissane, are believed to have stopped a wider purging of FBI agents and officials from the agency over a number of controversial cases the bureau has been involved with in recent years, according to NBC.

Driscoll and Kissane have since been replaced by FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

Dennehy also played a major role in the investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The case against Adams is only nominally active since the Department of Justice moved to drop the case. The Justice Department’s request caused an exodus of prosecutors in New York and Washington.