A group of FBI agents who investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot have filed a searing 4-page motion in federal court demanding the Justice Department destroy a list of over 5,000 bureau employees involved in the probe.

Filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge Jia M. Cobb, the motion cites fears of retaliation and violence spurred by Trump administration officials like Ed Martin, who called the investigation a “fraud” and vowed to "name and shame" agents.

The agents warn that publicizing the list could endanger their lives, especially as Trump administration officials push to expose those who pursued January 6 defendants, many of whom faced heavy-handed prosecutions for what standardly amount to minor offenses.

The filing quotes Martin’s May 13, 2025, press conference, where he declared, "There are some really bad actors. Some people that did some really bad things to the American people. And if they can’t be charged, we will name them. And we will name them and in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are shamed."

The agents argue this "clear, unmistakable intent" to target them, coupled with Martin’s belief that January 6 was an FBI-orchestrated "hoax," heightens the risk of the list’s release.

"DOJ leadership is in regular contact with Jan 6th defendants who are imploring them to release information," the plaintiffs note, raising concerns about leaks to pardoned rioters seeking revenge.

The motion demands the list’s destruction and an injunction to prevent its dissemination, stating this "remains the only outcome that will ensure the safety of Plaintiffs."

Since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the Justice Department and FBI have faced a purge of personnel tied to January 6 and Trump-related probes. But conservatives insist the subtle rehaul of the weaponized Justice Department isn't enough as Biden-era holdovers remain employed.

Approximately 30 prosecutors who handled Capitol riot cases have been reportedly fired, including over a dozen from the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office on January 31, 2025, under orders from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a former Trump defense lawyer.

Bove’s memo cited their roles in the “grave national injustice” of January 6 prosecutions, aligning with Trump’s executive order to end the “weaponization” of law enforcement.

The FBI has not been spared. On January 31, 2025, Bove ordered the termination of eight senior executives, including David Sundberg, head of the Washington field office, which led January 6 investigations.

By February 4, 2025, the FBI complied with demands to provide details on approximately 5,000 employees involved in the probe, though it withheld names, using employee ID numbers instead.

On March 3, 2025, James Dennehy, head of the FBI’s New York field office, was forced out after resisting orders to identify January 6 agents.

Trump himself has fanned the flames, stating on February 7, "I’ll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt… and it will be done quickly and very surgically."

The Justice Department’s "Weaponization Working Group," established February 5 by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has targeted January 6 investigators, with Martin now as its "captain" and Bove overseeing demands for agent names.

Some Trump supporters have criticized Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for not arresting FBI employees, reflecting the intense political pressure.

The FBI agents demanding the destruction of the J6 list are represented by a formidable legal team, backed by the FBI Agents Association.

The Law Office of Mark S. Zaid, P.C., led by Mark S. Zaid and Bradley P. Moss, specializes in defending whistleblowers and government employees. Zaid, who represented the intelligence official in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019, was a key figure in exposing the Ukraine phone call that led to the impeachment inquiry.

The Center for Employment Justice, with Pamela M. Keith and Scott M. Lempert, focuses on workplace rights. Keith warns publicly disclosing the names of the FBI agents who set up J6 defendants is "an effort to target agents for retribution."

The Democracy Defenders Fund, led by Norman L. Eisen, Pooja Chaudhuri, and Tianna Mays, brings heavy impeachment experience. Eisen served as co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, playing a pivotal role in drafting articles of impeachment.

Eisen warns, “The individuals being targeted have served in law enforcement for decades, often putting their lives on the line."

On January 6, 2021, police used tear gas, flashbangs, and rubber bullets against demonstrators while never even issuing a dispersal order, escalating a moderately peaceful protest into chaos.

The FBI’s subsequent raids on defendants’ homes, often with SWAT teams, drew accusations of intimidation.

Over 1,500 individuals were then subject to prosecutorial overreach, with many receiving 10- to 20-year sentences for offenses like trespassing or disorderly conduct—crimes typically treated as misdemeanors.

Trump warned that these prosecutions weaponized the Justice Department against political opponents, a view echoed by Martin’s “hoax” claims.

The FBI’s shift under Patel, who disbanded a Washington public corruption squad on May 16, 2025, to focus on illegal immigration and violent crime, reflects a broader pivot away from politically charged investigations.

This restructuring, coupled with Trump’s pardons of nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants, underscores the administration’s rejection of the Biden administration's narrative that weaponized the intelligence agencies against dissidents.

These FBI agents, now hiding behind their high-priced lawyers—some of whom tried to impeach Trump—are scrambling to cover their tracks, begging a judge to shred the evidence of their witch hunt.

They raided homes with SWAT teams, locked up Americans for years over petty charges, and now they’re scared of the truth coming out.