The FBI and the Justice Department had to make a big change to a court order. They agreed to only tell the court and everyone else two days before releasing the names of FBI employees. These employees had worked on cases involving the January 6 events.  The Department of Justice  Actually did not want to release the list of names.  The FBI employees feared that if their names are made public, they would have problems with safety. The FBI employees had a secret system to protect their names. These employees have many different types of jobs including supervisors and administrative assistants.

    The FBI and Justice Department worked hard to protect the names so they made a new rule. This rule was called a consent order.  The rule said no one could release the names to the public, including the White House.   The judge, Jia M. Cobb, had already said that she would not stop the release of the list of names at first.  She was cautious because the employees' names were not on the list in public. She thought that if the names were not released right away, there would be no harm. But this idea changed quickly.  The judge then said she was going to put the two-days’ notice rule in effect because of the FBI gave the names to the Department of Justice.  The FBI changed their minds as well.

    The FBI Director sent a memo to the FBI employees, saying they were worried about the safety of the employees and their families.  On the other hand, the FBI employees were still worried about their safety. This is why they wanted to sue the Justice Department.  They feared that if their names were revealed, they could be hurt.  They didn't want to be publicly known.  The employees were not just worried about themselves but their families as well.

    The court said that the Department of Justice must not release names without a two-days’ notice.  They also said that the FBI could still work on their cases without releasing the names.  The FBI  has to protect the employees and has to give notice.  This gives everyone a chance to think.  There are 3, 000 unanswered questions with the January 6 investigations

    The FBI and Department of Justice have said in the past that they have no plans to release the names of employees.  They have had many discussions in the past about this.  Justice department officials and FBI have never made a plan to release names.  You should also know that the FBI and DOJ have had a lot of lawsuits.  The information from the Justice Department is protected.  It is not public.  The inquiry and investigations are not public.  There is no one who is forced to testify.  The court order is not about the investigation of January 6.  There is no one being charged with crimes.  The court order is only about the names of the employees who worked on the cases.  The names of employees are safe and are not being released.

    The FBI employees have not been testifying in court.  The FBI employees have not been investigated.  No one is being charged.  The FBI employees were just worried about their safety.  They had to meet with their work to get the cases back.  They were also worried about their family.  The FBI employees have a right to privacy.  They are allowed to have freedom and no one should have to be worried about their family.  They have names and addresses.  They lead normal lives.  They are worried about their privacy being broken.  They are worried about being harassed. .

Court and FBI Make Secret Agreement

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