Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over FBI Agent Disclosures Amid January 6 Fallout

A federal judge has dismissed a closely watched lawsuit involving the Trump administration’s request to obtain the names of FBI agents who worked on investigations tied to the January 6 Capitol riot. The ruling, delivered Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the fallout from the historic attack.

Judge Cobb, a Biden appointee, acknowledged the emotional and professional turmoil faced by the agents who filed the suit earlier this year. The plaintiffs—represented by attorneys affiliated with the FBI Agents Association—had argued that releasing their identities would place them in personal danger and subject them to political retaliation.

“Plaintiffs filed these cases in a whirlwind of chaos and fear,” Judge Cobb wrote in her opinion. “Some former January 6 defendants, now pardoned and at large, called for FBI agents to be doxed—or worse.”

Despite these concerns, Cobb ultimately sided with the Department of Justice, stating that the plaintiffs failed to provide concrete evidence that a disclosure of their names was imminent.

“The Court ordered expedited jurisdictional discovery to cut through the chaos and allow Plaintiffs to shore up their standing allegations,” Cobb explained. “That discovery revealed no evidence that Defendants are on the verge of disclosing Plaintiffs’ identities, nor have Plaintiffs plausibly alleged that such a disclosure is imminent.”

The lawsuit was filed in February after eight senior career FBI officials were abruptly dismissed. Around the same time, Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove—recently nominated for a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit—formally requested a list of all agents who had contributed to the extensive investigations related to the Capitol attack.

Agents expressed fear that the list could be used for more than administrative review. They feared it might serve as a tool for retribution, potentially exposing names to the public or resulting in mass terminations. The FBI Agents Association insisted that such actions would endanger the careers and safety of those who carried out lawful duties under orders.

While Judge Cobb acknowledged these concerns, she emphasized that no immediate threat of disclosure had been established and therefore ruled that the court lacked the grounds to intervene.

Attorneys for the FBI agents, Margaret Donovan and Chris Mattei, made it clear that the matter is far from over.

“We are proud to defend the FBI employees who bravely investigated the January 6th attacks,” the lawyers said in a statement following the ruling. “The Court acknowledged that the disclosure of agents’ names would endanger them and accepted the Government’s claims that it would not do so. We stand ready to return to Court immediately if the Government does not live up to its obligations.”

Bove, for his part, issued a statement seeking to allay fears, writing, “No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties.”

The Department of Justice has not confirmed whether the agent list will be made public, nor has it offered a timeline for internal review of agent activity during the investigations.

Meanwhile, the FBI remains embroiled in broader national security concerns. Just last week, Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that the Bureau had dismantled a major espionage network operated by Chinese intelligence inside the United States. The operation spanned multiple cities—including San Francisco, Portland, Houston, and San Diego—and led to two arrests and eight executed search warrants.

In a public statement, Bongino described the network as “sophisticated” and confirmed its direct ties to the Chinese government. According to the FBI, the ring aimed to steal U.S. military secrets, including missile and drone technology, while also attempting to recruit U.S. service members as assets.

“This is your FBI, and you deserve to know about the work we’re doing every day to keep our country and citizens safe,” Bongino said in a message shared on social media.

The takedown follows a series of alarming cases in which U.S. Army personnel were accused of passing sensitive military information to foreign entities. Bongino has referred to these incidents as “treason-adjacent espionage.”

Since the beginning of 2025, the FBI has arrested 51 individuals believed to be working as foreign intelligence agents. These arrests span agents from nations such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The charges include economic espionage, sanctions evasion, theft of classified data, and biological materials smuggling.

The Bureau also revealed that it is currently managing nearly 5,000 open counterintelligence cases, with over 800 new ones opened since January alone.

As both legal and security challenges continue to mount, the FBI finds itself operating under intense political scrutiny and growing public pressure. The court’s decision to dismiss the disclosure lawsuit may offer the Bureau temporary relief, but the broader storm surrounding January 6 and national security threats shows no sign of passing.