Background: Assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Field Office, James Dennehy, speaking at a press conference (FBI New York Field Office). Inset: President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
Just weeks after telling FBI staff it was “time to dig in” during President Donald Trump’s targeting of federal agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases, the assistant director in charge of the bureau’s New York field office — the largest in the country — has been ordered by the Trump administration to put in his “retirement papers” for no apparent reason, the official says.
James Dennehy, who was put in charge last September by former FBI director Christopher Wray, sent notices to his colleagues this week letting them know he was bowing out. This was weeks after the now-ominous Jan. 31 email amid Trump’s firing crusade, in which he spoke about the agency’s “battle of our own.” Dennehy was sent the order on Friday and told staff about it Monday, according to NBC News, which is the same day he stepped down.
“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” Dennehy explained. “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 to serve as ADIC NY for at least two years.”
Speaking to FBI staff in late January, Dennehy had vowed to do whatever he could to help protect his agents at the Empire State field office as “good people” were being “walked out of the FBI” and others “targeted” at the time simply because they “did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy” when investigating the 2021 Capitol attack, Dennehy said.
“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own,” he told his colleagues in the January email. “Time for me to dig in.”
Dennehy seemed to acknowledge those words on Monday in his termination notice, telling staff: “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.”
The top special agent’s forced “retirement” comes as the Trump administration continues to carry out mass firings across multiple government agencies, which he has been doing since taking office. So far, nearly a dozen FBI officials have been booted for their involvement in Jan. 6 probes, leading to “fear and angst within the FBI ranks,” according to Dennehy’s January email. The FBI believes that at least 6,000 staff members worked on Jan. 6 cases out of the bureau’s 38,000 employees.
“I mourn the forced retirements,” Dennehy said in his first email about ousted FBI workers, describing them as “extraordinary individuals.”
When the email was sent out, FBI officials had been asked to answer questionnaires to help determine which staffers — both past and current — were involved in Jan. 6 cases. Trump had just pardoned Capitol rioters weeks earlier after declaring “a process of national reconciliation.” FBI leaders sent out emails in January, along with bureau-related groups — such as the FBI Agents Association — warning employees of what’s to possibly come and keeping them updated on their job status.
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“I know a lot of you have seen or heard reports that FBI executives have been asked to resign or be fired,” wrote Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office, in an email to staff on Jan. 31. “To clarify my own status, as of this writing I have not been fired or asked to resign, nor have I received any indication I might be.”
Dennehy said Monday he was proud to know that he stood up for and represented “an office of professionals” that he believes will uphold that same standard even with him gone. He listed 10 things he will miss about the FBI, including the “camaraderie” and “independence” — saying, “We will not bend. We will not falter. We will not sacrifice what is right for anything or anyone.”
“As I leave today, 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,” Dennehy said. “Who will always seek the truth while upholding the rule of law; who will always follow the facts no matter where they lead and be unapologetic about it; who will never bend, break, falter, or quit on your integrity; who will always handle cases and evidence with an overabundance of caution and care for the innocent, the victims, and the process first; and who will always remain independent.”
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