Former FBI Director James Comey called on employees in the Justice Department, FBI and U.S. Attorneys Offices to fight for their jobs after Trump administration officials last week fired FBI leaders and DOJ attorneys involved in prosecuting Jan. 6 cases.

Mr. Comey made the post on his social media Sunday evening after Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove on Friday ordered Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll to amass a list of all current and former FBI employees assigned “at any time” to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The list is “to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary,” Mr. Bove had said. 

According to FBI sources, Mr. Driscoll refused the DOJ leadership’s request to turn over the names after the Justice Department subsequently asked for detailed information related to each FBI agent’s involvement in Jan. 6 cases and the extent of their involvement.

Mr. Comey directed his X post to “FBI, DOJ, and US Attorney’s offices around the country.”

“Fight for the rule of law - to protect your country and to keep your jobs. Don’t let the darkness of bad people steal the joy of public service,” he wrote.

He continued by saying agents should continue to live life because “our country needs you over the long haul. Know that these people, some evil, most just followers too weak to stand up, will fade, but the need for your work will remain.”

He concluded: “Thank you for being light in the darkness.”

FBI agents were panicking Friday in offices across the country. Many did not want to gather in groups out of fear of being accused of coordinating with one another or with bad actors against the bureau.

Former and current FBI employees are considering staging a protest at the Washington D.C. field office and headquarters on Monday.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 until May 2017, when President Trump fired him and said the country’s top law enforcement agency had lost the public’s trust.

The FBI and Mr. Trump have a tense history. In July 2016, under Mr. Comey, the bureau launched Crossfire Hurricane, investigating the Trump campaign’s purported links to Russia.

Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey in 2017 raised suspicions in the Justice Department that the president was obstructing justice, leading to special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-running and costly investigation.

Mr. Mueller ultimately found no evidence that Trump campaign officials conspired with Moscow’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.