FBI Congressional Liaison Marshall Yates Steps Down After Role in Trump 'Weaponization' Effort
Marshall Yates, the FBI’s head of congressional affairs and a key liaison to Capitol Hill, is leaving the bureau, with his last day expected Friday, multiple sources told CBS News. Yates, a former GOP Hill staffer, served as one of the FBI’s representatives on the Interagency Weaponization Working Group that has been carrying out President Trump’s push for retribution against perceived political enemies, and also worked on a DOJ‑led version that dealt with Jan. 6 prosecutions and possible reinstatement of fired agents who claimed they were purged for criticizing COVID rules or Jan. 6 cases. As congressional point man, he has been central to dealings with Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, including over document releases in the FBI’s 'Arctic Frost' investigation of Trump that exposed agent Walt Giardina’s name despite internal warnings from the D.C. field office that doing so could endanger him and his terminally ill wife; Giardina was later fired. Yates previously worked for Reps. Thomas Massie and Mo Brooks and for Cleta Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network, tying him to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including Mitchell’s participation in Trump’s call pressing Georgia officials to "find" enough votes to reverse Biden’s win. His exit comes amid fierce scrutiny of FBI Director Kash Patel’s leadership, Trump’s use of 'weaponization' task forces inside DOJ and the intelligence community, and ongoing lawsuits by former senior FBI officials who say Patel and Yates ignored safety concerns while feeding agent names to Congress.
📌 Key Facts
- Marshall Yates, head of the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs, is departing the bureau, with his last day expected Friday, according to multiple sources.
- Yates served on the Interagency Weaponization Working Group and a parallel DOJ-led group addressing Jan. 6 prosecutions and potential reinstatement of agents claiming they were fired for political reasons.
- He was the FBI’s key point of contact with Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and was involved in decisions that led to disclosure of agent Walt Giardina’s name in Trump-related 'Arctic Frost' documents, despite reported internal pleas not to expose him.
- Former Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll and other ex‑officials have sued, alleging the then‑head of the D.C. office warned FBI Director Kash Patel and Yates that naming Giardina would endanger him and his cancer‑stricken wife and unleash online threats, but his name was released anyway and he was later fired.
- Yates earlier worked for Reps. Thomas Massie and Mo Brooks and with Cleta Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network, which was involved in Trump’s 2020 election‑overturn efforts, including the call urging Georgia’s secretary of state to 'find' votes.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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