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Courts & Justice

Ex-Chicago FBI chief sues DOJ, says he was wrongly blamed for failed case

Douglas DePodesta says he was forced out after US attorney Andrew Boutros blamed him for the collapse of a protester prosecution.

8 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsAlleged political pressure from the Chicago US attorneyCenter2 outletsEx-FBI chief says ousted, judge orders testimonyConservative3 outletsFormer FBI chief's suit over collapsed protester cases
Published 3 min read
Overview

Douglas DePodesta, the former head of the 's Chicago field office, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday. He says he was wrongly blamed when the case against six protesters, known as the Broadview Six, fell apart, and that he was forced out of his job. The Guardian says the suit names FBI Director Kash Patel, Todd Blanche and Andrew Boutros.

The AP says the FBI and the are named too, and The Hill says he sued President Trump and other top administration officials. The suit alleges that Boutros pushed politically motivated prosecutions and demanded by email that the FBI investigate opponents of the Trump administration. It also alleges Boutros made intentionally false statements to a judge.

According to the Guardian, the suit says Boutros falsely told superiors that DePodesta and his sister-in-law, a defense lawyer for one of the six, plotted to destroy the case. The AP reports that Boutros dropped all charges in May, after a had twice declined to the six. Hours after the filing, the AP says, Judge April Perry ordered Boutros, along with three of his assistant attorneys, to give sworn testimony on Nov. 16 in the failed protester case.

Boutros's office declined to comment to the AP.

Key figures
  • About 6% share of Boutros's cases against anti-ICE protesters during Operation Midway Blitz that ended in a guilty finding, per the suit — The Guardian (US)
  • Around 30 protesters charged during Operation Midway Blitz, many since dropped or dismissed — The Seattle Times
  • Nov. 16 date Boutros and three of his assistant attorneys must testify under oath — The Seattle Times

Three sides of the story

Liberal3 outlets

Alleged political pressure from the Chicago US attorney

The Guardian opens with DePodesta's claim that the Trump administration pressured him to investigate the president's opponents and made him a "scapegoat." It calls the suit a "rare first-hand account" from a senior FBI official. According to the complaint, Boutros was "openly hostile" when the FBI declined to draft an affidavit calling a protester's contact with an officer an assault, because video showed only "incidental touching."

DePodesta says he sat in on two meetings where Boutros discussed the case with Justice Department officials, one with Patel and Blanche. The paper notes an FBI post on X saying those not on board are "free to leave," which the suit calls defamatory. It quotes DePodesta telling the Chicago Sun-Times, "I will not let fear silence me."

The Guardian says the Justice Department, Boutros and the FBI gave no response to its inquiries. The New York Times headline says DePodesta claims he was wrongly blamed for a "Botched" Broadview Six case.

The Times reports that he says Boutros's prosecutions of the protesters unraveled and he was then pushed from his job.

Center2 outlets

Ex-FBI chief says ousted, judge orders testimony

The Seattle Times, carrying an Associated Press report, opens with DePodesta's claim in a suit filed Monday that he lost his job after being wrongly blamed for a collapsed protester case. It quotes him telling the AP, "I saw the writing on the wall," and relays his account that superiors told him Patel wanted him fired. The report then turns to the court.

Judge April Perry set Nov. 16 for sworn testimony from Boutros and three of his assistant attorneys, writing that there is "more than an adequate factual basis" to inquire into whether willful false statements reached the court. It quotes Nancy DePodesta, who represents one of the former defendants, saying he was forced out over "what appear to be utterly false rumors" spread by Boutros. Boutros's office declined to comment, and the FBI and Justice Department did not immediately respond to the AP.

The Hill reports that DePodesta alleges he was forced to resign after a federal prosecutor tried to pin the case's collapse on him. Its headline puts "politically motivated" in quotation marks.

Conservative3 outlets

Former FBI chief's suit over collapsed protester cases

The Washington Times reports that Douglas DePodesta, who formerly led the FBI's Chicago field office, says in a lawsuit filed Monday that he lost his position after taking unfair blame for failed prosecutions of six people who protested the immigration crackdown.

All sources: 9 articles from 8 outlets

Liberal (3)

Center (2)

Conservative (4)

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FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation: the main federal police and counterintelligence agency, part of the Justice Department.

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Attorney General

The head of the Justice Department and the government's chief lawyer. Each state has its own attorney general too.

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District attorney and US attorney

A district attorney is the local prosecutor, usually elected, who brings charges under state law. A US attorney is the federal prosecutor for a district, appointed by the president, who brings federal charges.

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Justice Department

The federal ministry that prosecutes federal crimes. The FBI is part of it, and its head is the Attorney General.

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Grand jury

A group of citizens who decide behind closed doors whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. It does not decide guilt. That is for the trial.

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Indictment

A formal criminal charge, usually approved by a grand jury. It is not a finding of guilt: the person is innocent until a court says otherwise.

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