DOJ and FBI reach preliminary deal regarding list of agents who investigated J6

Recently, a list of FBI agents who worked on the Jan. 6 case was released by the DOJ and sent shockwaves through the federal law enforcement agency.

According to Fox News, the Department of Justice and the FBI reached a temporary deal this week that says the Trump administration cannot release details of the FBI agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigation without giving plaintiffs at least two days advance notice. 

Fox News added, "It does not, however, place such a time limit on the dissemination of agents' identities to other government agencies or the White House. "

Agents included on the list, which numbered in the thousands, said they feared their information being made public for fear of retaliation or other safety issues.

What's going on?

Lawsuits were launched immediately after the FBI agents who took part in the investigation were made public on the very long list of agents.

Fox News noted:

The agreement comes after active FBI agents and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, a voluntary agents’ group, sued the Justice Department earlier this week seeking to block the release of any identifying information about FBI agents involved in the January 6 investigations.

Reportedly, the negotiations between the FBI agents, their representatives, and Trump's DOJ took "hours" in court.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb presided over the negotiations, and questioned both parties "at length on the nature of DOJ's questionnaire, the potential for disclosures or retaliation and how the Justice Department intends to use information divulged in the questionnaires."

Plaintiffs will not be able to receive any relief, as their hearings will now be pushed to March 27.

Lawyers for the FBI agents argued that the information was to identify agents that would be terminated as a result of being a part of the J6 investigations.

Lawyers' statement

Attorneys for the FBI agents said, "Plaintiffs assert that the purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action."

They added that the FBI agents "reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons."

The lawyers said any efforts that would be used to identify the agents for termination would be "unlawful and retaliatory," and a violation of civil service code.

Only time will tell what happens.