Head of FBI New York division forced to retire after telling agents he was prepared to ‘dig in’

By Josh Campbell and Shimon Prokupecz, CNN

(CNN) — The top special agent overseeing the FBI’s largest field office has been forced to retire, according to an email he sent to colleagues and obtained by CNN.

“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” wrote James Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI New York division. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”

As CNN reported, Dennehy sent an impassioned message to the workforce last month amid reports of potential mass firings at the FBI.

“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the FBI and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy,” Dennehy wrote last month, adding he was preparing to “dig in.”

Dennehy’s departure announcement comes days after Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that the FBI’s New York field office withheld thousands of pages of additional documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel last week, Bondi demanded an investigation into why the documents were hidden.

In the message Monday announcing his departure, Dennehy wrote, in part: “I have an immense feeling of pride — to have represented an office of professionals who will always do the right thing for the right reasons; who will always seek the truth while upholding the rule of law…”

“I’ve been told many times in my life, ‘When you find yourself in a hole, sometimes it’s best to quit digging.’ Screw that. I will never stop defending this joint. I’ll just do it willingly and proudly from outside the wire,” Dennehy added.

CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

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