Top FBI Official Resigns Says Report
The ongoing shake-up at the FBI under the Trump administration has claimed another high-profile figure—James Dennehy, the head of the bureau’s New York Field Office. His forced resignation comes just weeks after he reportedly urged agents to “dig in” following demands from the Justice Department to identify personnel who worked on January 6 investigations.
Dennehy, a well-regarded leader within the FBI, was given a choice: resign or be fired. Opting for retirement, he officially stepped down on Monday. While no official reason has been given for his removal, the timing raises serious questions about the internal turmoil within the agency.
BREAKING: James Dennehy, the head of the FBI in New York, forcibly resigned Monday. After President Trump's victory, he sent an email urging resistance to "dig in."
James is allegedly accountable for concealing the Epstein files. pic.twitter.com/lLLd0Yz0MZ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 3, 2025
At the center of this controversy is the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to scrutinize the FBI’s handling of January 6 prosecutions. Under Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, the Justice Department requested a list of all FBI agents involved in criminal cases against Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol.
Dennehy’s response to this request was defiant. In an internal email, he warned that “good people are being walked out of the FBI” for simply doing their jobs. He ended his message with a declaration: “Time for me to dig in.”
That defiance may have sealed his fate. Some within the agency reportedly resisted efforts to compile the list, leading to heightened tensions between FBI leadership and the Trump administration. But the controversy doesn’t stop there.
BREAKING: Top FBI official forced out after criticizing Trump pursuit of agents who investigated Jan. 6 - NBC
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 3, 2025
Another layer to this story is the increasing scrutiny over the FBI’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The agency has been accused of withholding critical documents related to Epstein’s network, and there are now allegations that Dennehy may have played a role in muddying the information before it was made public. If true, that would add yet another reason for his abrupt departure.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that nearly 40 percent of the FBI’s resources were devoted to January 6 investigations, a staggering figure that has raised concerns about the agency’s priorities. The Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul the FBI suggest that Dennehy’s removal is likely just one of many more to come.