Former Chicago FBI Chief Sues DOJ Over Forced Resignation

Clear Facts

• Former Chicago FBI field office chief Douglas DePodesta filed a lawsuit claiming he was forced to resign after federal prosecutors blamed him for the collapse of the “Broadview Six” case.
• The suit alleges U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros pushed politically motivated felony charges against anti-ICE protesters before evidence was gathered, then shifted blame when the cases fell apart.
• A federal judge has ordered Boutros and three assistants to testify under oath about possible misconduct in the failed prosecutions.

The former head of the FBI’s Chicago field office is taking the Department of Justice to court. He claims he was pushed out over failed prosecutions tied to protests against federal immigration enforcement.

Douglas DePodesta filed suit Monday against top Justice Department officials. He alleges that federal prosecutors in Illinois rushed felony charges against demonstrators before building a proper case.

“I saw the writing on the wall,” DePodesta told The Associated Press.

DePodesta says the pressure came from U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros. The lawsuit claims Boutros demanded investigations into individuals based on their political opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“Boutros sent DePodesta emails demanding that DePodesta open FBI investigations into individuals with political views or affiliations in opposition to the Trump administration,” the complaint states.

The case centers on six protesters charged with felonies during Operation Midway Blitz. Grand jurors twice declined to indict them. All charges were later dropped.

DePodesta claims Boutros blamed him for the failed prosecutions to deflect attention from his own conduct. He says FBI leadership admitted the ouster was due to political pressure created by the U.S. Attorney.

“There is no one at the FBI who took their oath of office and their ethical and moral responsibilities more seriously than Doug,” Nancy DePodesta said in a statement. “It is both heartbreaking and shameful that he was forced out of his position based on what appear to be utterly false rumors spread by” Boutros.

U.S. District Judge April Perry has ordered Boutros and three assistant attorneys to appear in court on November 16. The judge cited an “adequate factual basis” to investigate possible false statements to the court.

DePodesta’s lawsuit says Boutros pressured prosecutors to file felony charges even when assistants favored misdemeanors or no charges at all. One prosecutor resigned in September, claiming she had been scapegoated.

Boutros has denied that politics influenced the charging decisions.

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