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Douglas DePodesta has served as special agent in charge in
Chicago, one of the FBI's largest offices, for nearly two years
and has been with the bureau since 2002.
He told colleagues that his last day would be Monday, according
to a message seen by The Associated Press. Multiple people
familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to
discuss a personnel move, said DePodesta had been pushed to
retire.
The events leading up to his departure were not immediately
clear, but DePodesta alluded in his farewell note to a conflict
that he suggested had precipitated it.
“I've never backed down from a fight, as long as it meant our
personnel could continue serving the FBI's mission,” DePodesta
wrote in the message. “Unfortunately, that has proved unpopular
over time and my departure is a consequence of that.”
The move is part of a broader upheaval in the FBI’s workforce as
Director Kash Patel has sought to force out line agents and
supervisors alike who are perceived as not supporting the Trump
administration agenda. It also comes amid prolonged tumult in
the law enforcement community in Chicago, whose top federal
prosecutor, Andrew Boutros, described this week a sweeping
review of more than 1,000 grand jury presentations made by
Illinois prosecutors following the dismissal of a high-profile
case over misconduct.
The FBI declined to comment Thursday, but the bureau's “rapid
response” social media account on X responded to a separate post
about DePodesta's departure by saying: “It’s simple: Anyone who
is not on board with THIS FBI under the leadership of President
Trump — which has achieved the lowest murder rate ever — is free
to leave.”
DePodesta also quoted in his note from a farewell message from
Patel's predecessor, former Director Chris Wray, who reminded
the workforce that “you have been who the American people have
turned to in their darkest moments” and praised them for having
“stayed true to the values that define who we are, and to the
qualities for which we stand: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.”
DePodesta joined the FBI in Chicago in 2002 and worked drug
investigations. He later held senior roles at FBI headquarters
in Washington and in Detroit and Memphis before being named top
agent in Chicago in August 2024.
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