The top FBI official in the New York Field Office was forced to retire on Monday.
James Dennehy was appointed to the position by former FBI Director Christopher Wray in September 2024.
He sent out an email on Monday in which he shared his news with co-workers.
He stated that late on Friday, he was informed that he needed to submit his papers of retirement. Dennehy stated that he had not been given any reason as to why this was the case.
“I apologize to everyone for being unable to keep my promise to you that I would serve you as ADIC NY for at least two more years.”
He added, “I have a great sense of pride as I depart today. I represented a team of professionals that will do what is right for all the right reasons. They will seek out the truth and uphold the law. They will follow facts wherever they may lead, without apology. And, most importantly, never compromise, fail, or abandon your integrity.”
Dennehy listed ten things that he misses about his FBI job, but surprisingly, the commute wasn’t on it.
His list included the FBI badge, camaraderie and independence, as well as the intense investigations.
He wrote: “I have heard many times that when you are in a hole, it is best to stop digging.”
“Screw that. I will not stop fighting for this place. I’ll do it proudly and willingly,” he said.
Dennehy is just the latest to be ousted under Donald Trump’s new government.
The news of his resignation, coming shortly after confirmation of FBI director Kash Patel and deputy Director Dan Bongino, is likely to spark new concerns about politicalization in the Bureau.
Dennehy is a former U.S. Marine Corps veteran who joined the FBI in 2002 shortly after 9/11. He has received many awards over the past two decades.
He has held numerous management and promotion positions, most recently serving as the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Headquarters under the Trump Administration, the FBI’s Newark Field Office, and the FBI’s New York City Field Office.
Dennehy has been in the news recently for publicly sparring against the Trump Administration over a questionaire sent to FBI agents asking them to describe their involvement in the massive Capitol riot investigation that took place on Jan. 6.
Bureau employees cited fear of political and retaliatory retribution and retaliation for their role, and Dennehy had been among those who had encouraged his colleagues to “dig in” to protect the FBI’s independence against outside interference.
He played an important role in the investigation of New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams. Adams was charged with criminal corruption last autumn, but the Justice Department dismissed the case abruptly last month.
Paul Clement is an independent lawyer who has been asked to provide advice by the presiding U.S. district judge Dale Ho.
This departure came just days after Pam Bondi, Attorney General of the United States, suggested that the FBI New York Field Office had been responsible for keeping thousands of pages related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi wrote a harsh letter last week to Patel demanding to know why documents had not been made more readily available. She also vowed that she would fire the person responsible.
There is no way of knowing if Dennehy played any part in the investigation or if his retirement had anything to do with those documents.
Dennehy wrote in his note of farewell to co-workers on Monday that he leaves with “an immense feeling of pride,” having represented a team of professionals “who always do the best thing, for the most important reasons” as well as “who always pursue the truth and uphold the rule of the law …”
He added, “We will not bend. We will not falter. We will not sacrifice what is right for anything or anyone.”
