By ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is disbanding a Washington-based squad that investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The move is part of a broader reorganization of the FBI’s Washington field office, said one FBI official familiar with the plans, adding that the bureau would continue to pursue investigations into alleged corruption by public officials.
It was not immediately clear where the agents on the squad might be reassigned, though the office does have other squads focused on public corruption in the District of Columbia and Virginia.
The people who confirmed the FBI’s decision insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel changes that had not been previously announced.
The action comes as the Trump administration has overhauled its approach to enforcement of public corruption, including by moving to dramatically slash the size of a prestigious section of Justice Department prosecutors responsible for pursuing cases of fraud and corruption against elected officials.
The administration also has announced a pause in criminal enforcement of a law that prohibits U.S. companies from paying bribes to foreign officials for business. In addition, Justice Department leaders in February dismissed a public corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams so he could support the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
The dissolving of the squad is consistent with an ongoing shuffling of FBI priorities as the bureau under Director Kash Patel pivots to focus more on illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime, core priorities of the Trump administration.
The Washington field office is one of the largest in the country, responsible for investigating national security threats, public corruption and other crimes in the nation’s capital. The federal public corruption squad has handled significant investigations over the years, including into efforts by Trump and allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The development was first reported by NBC News.
