Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove made the statements on Wednesday in a memo to staff seen by Reuters.

A senior DOJ official in a memo said only agents "who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI" should be concerned.

FBI agents who 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.

Acting FBI Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove assured FBI employees that they will not face consequences if they followed orders an acted ethically in Jan. 6 investigations.

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,

The message from the acting deputy attorney general, which also accuses acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll of “insubordination,” is aimed at providing a measure of clarity following days of turmoil and uncertainty inside the bureau.

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.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s demand for the bureau to compile a list of everyone who worked on Capitol riot cases has stirred fears of retribution.