A top Justice Department official has accused the FBI’s acting leaders of “insubordination” in a memo in which he sought to soothe anxiety inside the bureau over the potential for a broad purge of agents involved in investigating the Jan.

A top Justice Department official on Wednesday told FBI agents they would not be fired if they worked on January 6 investigations because they were ordered to do so and accused FBI leaders of insubordination for initially opposing demands for agents' names.

FBI agents who participated in investigations related to President Donald Trump have sued over Justice Department efforts to develop a list of employees involved in those inquiries that agents fear could be a precursor to discipline or termination.