E-Paper
Who are Michael Burgwald and Courtland Rae? Two FBI agents demoted over probe into Stephen Miller's wife
Two FBI counterterrorism supervisors were reassigned after a dispute over an investigation into harassing calls directed at Stephen Miller's spouse.
Prefer HTon Google
Two experienced FBI counterterrorism supervisors have been reassigned from their positions following a dispute regarding an investigation into alleged harassing phone calls directed at the spouse of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, according to multiple sources briefed on the situation who spoke with MS NOW.
The FBI acknowledged the reassignments on Saturday.
Who are Michael Burgwald and Courtland Rae?
Michael Burgwald, the special agent in charge of counterterrorism operations at the FBI's Washington field office, and Courtland Rae, his assistant, both possess extensive backgrounds in national security matters.
Burgwald, a West Point alumnus, received recognition in 2016 for his contributions to a counterterrorism investigation. Rae participated in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. Both individuals played roles in examining the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
Michael Burgwald's friction with Kash Patel
According to sources, including former FBI leadership with knowledge of the situation, Burgwald had previously created friction with FBI Director Kash Patel through multiple disagreements. However, these sources, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the information, said that the decisive moment occurred when the Washington field office's counterterrorism division was tasked with evaluating threats posed by an individual suspected of making harassing calls to Miller's spouse, Katie Miller, a prominent conservative media personality.
The FBI's internal response to the unconventional request was marked by disapproval, according to the sources. “Harassing phone calls aren’t even in the ballpark of terrorism unless an actual terrorist is doing the dialing,” explained one retired FBI official with knowledge of the situation.
FBI's Darren Cox responds
Darren Cox, who serves as assistant director overseeing the FBI's Washington field office, maintained that the directive to demote the two experienced FBI agents did not come from senior leadership.
Darren informed MS NOW that the demotions were a "personnel decision made at the Washington field office level alone based on our constant evaluation of mission needs."
Following these actions, the two agents have been reassigned to headquarters, as per MS NOW.
