On Tuesday, the FBI submitted a list of thousands of employees who worked on investigations related to the January 6 Capitol riot to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The move comes on the same day that several FBI employees filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, alleging constitutional and privacy violations.
Sources familiar with the situation told CNN that more than 5,000 names were turned over to the DOJ, out of the bureau’s total workforce of approximately 38,000 employees.
In a Friday email titled “Terminations,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove set a deadline of noon on February 4 for the FBI to submit the list.
The lawsuit, filed as a class-action suit by anonymous FBI employees, claims that the agency conducted a survey aimed at identifying personnel for potential termination.
The plaintiffs are asking a judge to block the Trump administration from releasing the survey results or any personal information obtained through it.
“The very act of compiling lists of persons who worked on matters that upset Donald Trump is retaliatory in nature,” the lawsuit alleges. “It is intended to intimidate FBI agents and other personnel, discouraging them from reporting any future misconduct by Trump or