Judge Dismisses Suit Seeking To Block ID Of FBI Agents Who Probed J6 Cases
A federal judge granted the Trump administration’s request on Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at preventing the disclosure of the identities of thousands of FBI agents involved in the investigations related to January 6.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, expressed understanding for the agents who sought legal measures against the Trump administration after the Justice Department requested a list of all individuals who had conducted investigative work on the cases involving the rioters.
“The plaintiffs initiated these cases amidst a storm of chaos and fear,” Cobb noted, further stating that “some former defendants from January 6, who have since been pardoned and are now free, have called for the doxing of FBI agents (or worse).”
“Since that time, the situation has calmed somewhat—and this case has progressed,” Cobb added.
FBI agents have been engaged in legal proceedings since February, having filed their action right after the dismissal of eight senior career FBI officials, and following a request from Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who has been nominated for a lifetime position on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, for the list.
Nevertheless, Cobb concluded that the Justice Department does not seem ready to address the agents’ worries that such a list could be utilized not only to dismiss agents but also to publicly reveal their identities as a form of retribution.
“The Court mandated expedited jurisdictional discovery to navigate through the disorder and enable the plaintiffs to strengthen their standing allegations,” Cobb stated.
“This discovery uncovered no evidence indicating that the defendants are close to revealing the identities of the plaintiffs, nor have the plaintiffs convincingly claimed that such a disclosure is imminent. Consequently, the Court must dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims related to disclosure.”
Attorneys representing the FBI Agents Association have stated their readiness to return to court if the government fails to uphold its commitments.
Bove has not refuted that the list will be utilized to assess the performance of the numerous agents involved in the January 6, 2021, riot cases, and he has not excluded the possibility of some agents being dismissed. Additionally, agents were asked to fill out a questionnaire outlining their participation in the comprehensive investigation.
“We take pride in defending the FBI employees who courageously investigated the January 6th attacks. The Court recognized that revealing the names of agents would put them in danger and accepted the Government’s assurances that it would refrain from doing so. We are prepared to return to Court without delay if the Government fails to meet its responsibilities,” attorneys Margaret Donovan and Chris Mattei stated in a press release.
“No FBI employee who merely followed orders and performed their duties ethically concerning the January 6 investigations is in jeopardy of termination or other repercussions,” Bove wrote shortly after requesting the list.
Last week, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino garnered attention by announcing that the bureau had dismantled a significant Chinese espionage operation within the United States, which included agents actively attempting to recruit American service members to betray their nation.
In a statement shared on X, Bongino reported that the FBI executed eight search warrants and made two arrests in San Francisco, Houston, Portland, and San Diego as part of this operation. He characterized the spy network as “sophisticated” and directly linked to the Chinese government.
“This is your FBI, and you have the right to be informed about the efforts we undertake daily to ensure the safety of our country and its citizens,” Bongino remarked.
The operation follows a series of incidents earlier this year in which U.S. Army personnel were discovered transmitting sensitive information to the People’s Republic of China, which Bongino referred to as “treason-adjacent espionage.”
As reported by the FBI, foreign agents were engaged in efforts to acquire U.S. defense secrets and advanced technologies, which encompassed missile and drone capabilities, while simultaneously executing surveillance and intimidation operations on American territory.
Since January 2025, the FBI has apprehended 51 foreign intelligence operatives from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The allegations against them include economic espionage, evasion of sanctions, theft of classified information, and the smuggling of biological materials.
Bongino indicated that the bureau is currently managing nearly 5,000 active counterintelligence investigations, with over 800 new cases initiated just this year.