The acting deputy attorney general accused FBI leadership of “insubordination” by refusing to identify a “core team” of bureau employees who worked on January 6 investigations, while trying to assure that rank-and-file agents who “simply followed orders” will not be fired unless they “acted with corrupt or partisan intent,

FBI agents “who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner” while investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are not at risk of being fired, a top Justice Department official said in a memo to the bureau workforce obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

FBI officials have complied with demands to provide the Justice Department with details of thousands of employees who worked on investigations related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, according to people familiar with the situation.

A top Justice Department official on Wednesday told FBI agents they would not be fired if they worked on January 6 investigations because they were ordered to do so and accused FBI leaders of insubordination for initially opposing demands for agents' names.

Using information about cases involving Jan. 6 or President Donald Trump to fire FBI employees would be unlawful and retaliatory, attorneys for nine agents said.

Advocacy groups representing FBI agents appealed to the U.S. Congress on Monday to intervene to stop possible mass firings of agents who worked on the investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack and other probes condemned by President Donald Trump.

FBI employees involved in investigations related to the riot have been asked to complete questionnaires about their participation.