Judge Dismisses Suit Seeking To Block ID Of FBI Agents Who Probed J6 Cases
On Thursday, a federal judge consented to the request from the Trump administration 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 judicial intervention against the Trump administration after the Justice Department sought a comprehensive list of all individuals who had participated in the investigative efforts concerning the rioters’ cases.
Cobb noted, “Plaintiffs filed these cases amidst a whirlwind of chaos and fear,” and further remarked that “some former January 6 defendants, now pardoned and at large, called for FBI agents to be doxxed (or worse).”
Cobb added, “Since then, the dust has settled somewhat—and this case has evolved.”
FBI agents have been engaged in legal proceedings since February, initiating the action right after the dismissal of eight senior career FBI officials, coinciding with Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s request for the list, who has been nominated for a lifetime position on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nevertheless, Cobb concluded that the Justice Department does not seem ready to address the agents’ apprehensions that the list could be utilized not only to terminate agents but also to publicly reveal their identities as a form of retaliation.
Cobb stated, “The Court ordered expedited jurisdictional discovery to navigate through the chaos and enable Plaintiffs to reinforce their standing allegations.”
“That discovery uncovered no evidence indicating that Defendants are poised to disclose Plaintiffs’ identities, nor have Plaintiffs convincingly claimed that such a disclosure is imminent. Consequently, the Court must dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims related to disclosure.”
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Attorneys representing the FBI Agents Association have expressed their readiness to return to court if the government fails to uphold its commitments.
Bove has not disputed 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 recent takedown is a continuation of a series of incidents that occurred earlier this year, where U.S. Army personnel were discovered transmitting sensitive information to the People’s Republic of China, an act that Bongino referred to as “treason-adjacent espionage.”
The FBI has reported that these foreign agents were attempting to acquire U.S. defense secrets and advanced technologies, which include missile and drone capabilities, while also engaging in surveillance and intimidation operations on American soil.
Since January 2025, the FBI has apprehended 51 foreign intelligence operatives from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The charges against them vary from economic espionage and evasion of sanctions to the theft of classified information and the smuggling of biological materials.
Bongino noted that the bureau is currently managing nearly 5,000 active counterintelligence investigations, with over 800 new cases initiated just this year.