Department of Justice and Jan. 6 Cases

Jared Wise, a former FBI supervisory agent who was federally charged for allegedly encouraging violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack and later pardoned by President Trump while his trial was underway, has resigned from his Justice Department job. In a statement on X, Wise said he joined DOJ to "fully expose the abuses" he alleges were committed by the FBI and prosecutors against Jan. 6 defendants, but now believes that "will only happen from outside of government." Wise had been serving as a counselor to Ed Martin, the department’s pardon attorney and former head of the DOJ Weaponization Working Group, and sources say he helped draft an internal report on Jan. 6 prosecutions that has never been released publicly. His departure comes the same day Trump ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi and elevated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to acting AG, after reported friction between Martin's operation and Blanche's staff over the slow pace of the weaponization review. Congressional Democrats, including Sen. Dick Durbin, had previously blasted Wise’s hiring as "a slap in the face to law enforcement," and his exit highlights intensifying internal fights over how the Trump‑era DOJ handles and reframes Jan. 6 cases.