FBI Director Kash Patel has removed three senior agency officials linked to investigations into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, in a move critics say reflects a politicized shake-up of the bureau. Among those ousted was Walter Giardina, a Marine combat veteran whose wife died of cancer just last month.
According to the Associated Press, Giardina was dismissed Thursday alongside former Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll and Steven Jensen, Assistant Director of the Washington Field Office.
An unauthenticated “official notice” posted on X by MSNBC correspondent Ken Dilanian appeared to bear Patel’s signature, accusing Giardina of “poor judgment” and a “lack of impartiality,” which allegedly contributed to the “political weaponization of the government.” It is unclear if Driscoll and Jensen received similar letters.
The White House has been contacted by The Daily Beast to verify the letter’s authenticity. The FBI declined to comment. Giardina’s wife, Colleen, passed away on July 15 at the age of 49 in Fairfax, Virginia. An online obituary described her as a former professional ballet dancer and teacher, survived by her husband and two sons.
A 2003 Getty photo from Giardina’s deployment in Iraq included a heartfelt note to Colleen: “I can’t tell you how much I miss you. More than ever! I value our wonderful relationship. Just knowing that I have you gives me so much strength… We’ve accomplished all our objectives without anyone getting hurt.”
Politico reported that Giardina contributed to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 2016 probe into Russian election interference and later took part in the arrest of Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who refused to testify before the House committee on Jan. 6.
Driscoll’s removal follows tensions with Trump’s Department of Justice after he declined to provide a list of agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations, leading then-acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to accuse him of “insubordination.” Jensen, appointed only four months ago, was reportedly forced out under pressure from MAGA-aligned voices, according to The New York Times.
Patel has also pledged to use FBI resources to help Texas authorities pursue Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a redistricting vote, an effort backed by GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Navarro reacted to Giardina’s firing with open satisfaction, posting on X: “FBI’s Walter Giardina ran my circus arrest at Reagan Airport, slapped me in leg irons, lied to a grand jury, put me in prison—and tried to jail Trump in the Russia Hoax. I got in prison. He got fired. Time to investigate his weaponized a–.”