Fox News hosts hurried to the defense of FBI agents who had their security clearances suspended and then revoked after they seemingly sided with the pro-Trump Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. Fox's defense came on the heels of reporting by The New York Times detailing the FBI’s clear reasoning for revoking their security clearances.

On May 17, the Times reported on the contents of a letter sent to Republican lawmakers by a senior FBI official explaining that the agents’ positions drove the bureau to question their “allegiance to the United States.” The Times noted that two of these agents “were set to testify in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating what Republicans contend is the ‘weaponization’ of the federal government against conservatives.” That hearing began this morning.

One of them, Stephen Friend, had refused to participate in an arrest of a January 6 suspect who is a member of a militia and was carrying an AR-15 rifle at the Capitol during the insurrection. Friend had also, according to the FBI, “espoused an alternative narrative about the events at the U.S. Capitol” after refusing to participate in the arrest. And before Friend’s security clearance was suspended, in September 2022 he downloaded FBI documents to “an unauthorized removable flash drive.” 

Friend applied for whistleblower protection to the Justice Department’s inspector general and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel after his security clearance was suspended, but both offices rejected his whistleblower claims. 

Friend had also been paid $5,000 by Trump ally and conspiracy theorist Kash Patel in November 2022. Patel also secured a job for Friend at the Center for Renewing America, a right-wing think tank closely aligned with Trump that is working to unleash the FBI on the right’s enemies during a future Republican presidential administration.

The other agent set to testify, Marcus Allen, had his security clearance revoked after he “expressed sympathy for persons or organizations that advocate, threaten or use force or violence,” according to the Times’ reporting. Allen, who had previously served in the military, had additionally urged his FBI colleagues to avoid pursuing suspects in the January 6 insurrection and had spread conspiracy theories about the attack. 

He also, according to the Times, “failed to provide relevant information to fellow agents investigating the riot about people who allegedly took part in the attack.” The suspect he refused to turn over information about had allegedly assaulted police officers at the Capitol. 

Allen’s security clearance was suspended in January 2022, and in December he filed a lawsuit against FBI Director Christopher Wray with the assistance of the right-wing group Judicial Watch.

A third FBI agent not set to testify, Brett Gloss, reportedly had his security clearances revoked and was suspended by the bureau after federal investigators determined he had unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol Building during the January 6 insurrection itself.

These details had all been reported publicly. Yet Fox wasn’t deterred by this discrediting information and rallied to their defense.

• Fox host Laura Ingraham, two hours after the Times story was published on May 17, defended “Steve Friend, who is a whistleblower who has been on our show,” objecting to the revocation of his security clearance and telling Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) that “this is sick.”
• The next morning on the May 18 edition of Fox & Friends, Fox host Pete Hegseth came on to defend the “whistleblowers” from “retaliation” and commended them and the committee for the upcoming hearing.
• Fox & Friends promoted a press event by GOP lawmakers about the subcommittee hearing, with co-host Ainsley Earhardt emphasizing the revoked security clearances, specifically Friend’s, which was revoked two days prior.
• Fox & Friends later broke away from the GOP press event, with co-host Brian Kilmeade complaining about the FBI “retaliating against these agents” by revoking their security clearances.
• After the hearing went into recess, Fox contributor Andrew McCarthy defended these discredited FBI agents: “I thought the witnesses are actually very impressive guys. It seemed to me that it was -- you know, you have combat veterans who had distinguished records not only in the military, but in law enforcement up until very recently. And they have a credible story that the reason that they suddenly have blemished records is because the FBI's been politicized and they're pushing against it.”