CHICAGO () — A new lawsuit filed by the former head of the FBI’s Chicago office accuses the Justice Department of being used to pursue political opponents and protesters during the second Trump administration.
When FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta’s retirement was abruptly announced this summer, questions quickly emerged about why he was leaving.
The announcement came as federal prosecutors faced mounting scrutiny over several high-profile cases that collapsed after a judge uncovered potential prosecutorial misconduct.
DePodesta now tells the ABC7 I-Team that he did not voluntarily retire — he says he was pushed out.
“I was forced to resign. This was by no way voluntary,” DePodesta said in an exclusive interview. “I was ordered by the highest levels of the FBI that I needed to leave my position.”
The lawsuit names FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, the Department of Justice and the FBI as defendants. It alleges that “Boutros initiated and caused unconstitutional actions taken against DePodesta.”
“In a vain attempt to salvage his own reputation, Defendant Boutros pressured and convinced Defendants Patel, FBI, Blanche, and DOJ to sacrifice an outstanding public servant,” the complaint states.
DePodesta’s complaint claims senior Justice Department officials in Washington were involved in the now-infamous “Broadview Six” prosecution. After the case fell apart, the lawsuit says Boutros launched an internal effort to blame DePodesta for its collapse.
The I-Team has sought comment from Boutros and the other Justice Department officials named in the lawsuit.
In previous court filings, Boutros said he was unaware of the prosecutors’ errors in the Broadview Six case. He has said that once he learned of the problems, he dismissed the case.
DePodesta acknowledged that speaking publicly about what he says he witnessed behind closed doors at the Justice Department “will likely put a target on my back.”
“This FBI and this Department of Justice has shown that they are vindictive,” DePodesta said. “But fear will not silence me. I really want the American people to understand what’s happening inside their government.”
After spending 24 years rising through the FBI, DePodesta became special agent in charge of the Chicago field office just two weeks before the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
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The convention brought political leaders and protesters from across the country to Chicago. Despite the logistical challenges and heightened tensions surrounding the United Center, the event remained secure and was widely regarded as a success.
A year later, however, DePodesta says he encountered a different kind of pressure when he refused to follow orders to target, investigate and arrest people viewed as political enemies.
“I believe transparency in the government is so important, and I believe that the American people need to understand what is happening inside their government,” DePodesta said. “And I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
According to the lawsuit, Washington officials pressured Boutros to pursue felony charges against protesters demonstrating against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and expanded immigration enforcement efforts last fall. The operation, known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” allegedly involved cases that lacked sufficient evidence to support the charges, DePodesta claims.
The complaint says DePodesta and Boutros repeatedly disagreed over whether certain protesters should face charges of assaulting federal officers and whether the FBI should open investigations into what DePodesta described as politically motivated allegations.
In each case, DePodesta said he requested “factual predication that would justify opening an investigation” under Justice Department rules and consistent with his ethical and professional responsibilities.
He alleges that when he declined to launch investigations because the evidence did not support doing so, Boutros responded with hostility.
DePodesta said he is deeply concerned about the direction of the agency where he spent more than two decades.
“You know what frightens me? I was in the FBI for 24 years. Since 1908, it has been an apolitical organization,” DePodesta said. “We have always done the right thing for the right way at the right time. I’m not sure if this FBI is doing the right thing the right way.”
“It scares the hell out of me,” DePodesta told the I-Team.
The ABC7 I-Team will have more on this developing story on ABC7 News at 11 a.m., and on ABC7Chicago.com
The video in the player above is from an earlier report.
