The Trump administration is cracking down inside the FBI—and it’s not subtle.
Three high-ranking officials are reportedly being fired as part of a broad shake-up aimed at removing partisan bureaucrats who critics say have undermined public trust and targeted conservatives. Among those on the chopping block is Brian Driscoll, who briefly served as acting FBI director earlier this year, and Walter Giardina, a central player in the FBI’s now-discredited investigations of President Trump and his former advisor Peter Navarro.
Also out is Steve Jensen, the acting director of the agency’s Washington Field Office, which oversaw major politically sensitive cases during the last decade.
While the FBI declined to comment, the timing and names involved speak volumes. According to the New York Times, the purge is being driven by new FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi—two key Trump allies tasked with rooting out partisan rot in the federal bureaucracy.
The move follows months of pressure from Senate Republicans. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley had previously demanded records relating to Giardina’s conduct, citing whistleblower allegations that he lied about the Steele Dossier being “corroborated,” wiped a government laptop used during his time with Robert Mueller, and frequently boasted about his hatred for President Trump.
Giardina’s reported behavior included asserting, without evidence, that opposition research from Hillary Clinton’s campaign was factually verified. Grassley called the conduct “alarming” and suggested it cast doubt on every investigation the man touched.
Meanwhile, Driscoll is reportedly being removed for “insubordination,” after resisting DOJ requests to release information about agents involved in the January 6 investigations. He had previously served as a deputy to former FBI leadership but was viewed warily by Trump’s new inner circle.
According to the Times, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove had pushed for Driscoll’s dismissal months ago, citing a refusal to cooperate with transparency measures around politically sensitive investigations. Some Trump allies viewed Driscoll as part of the “protect-the-agency” crowd—bureaucrats more concerned with shielding the FBI’s image than cleaning up its mistakes.
The most cryptic removal is Steve Jensen, who had recently led the Washington Field Office and was expected to appear at a press conference this week on a hate crime investigation. When reporters asked about Jensen’s absence, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro refused to elaborate, simply saying, “I’m not going to talk about politics today. I’m talking about crime.”
But behind the scenes, sources suggest the firings are a deliberate first step in what’s being called “Operation Clean House.” Director Patel is reportedly reviewing other agents with connections to controversial investigations that began under former President Obama and continued into Trump’s first term.
The White House has not publicly confirmed the firings, but administration insiders say this is just the beginning. “It’s not enough to change policies,” one source said. “We have to change the people who weaponized the system.”
The message from the Trump administration is clear: if you worked to undermine the president, your time is up.
This move comes as conservatives grow increasingly vocal about alleged corruption and double standards inside federal law enforcement, particularly regarding how the FBI handled Russiagate, the Hunter Biden laptop, and January 6 prosecutions. And now that Trump is back in the White House, the slow grind of accountability appears to be accelerating.