Ex-FBI chief in Chicago sues DoJ, claiming he was pressured to investigate Trump’s foes
Douglas DePodesta says he was made ‘scapegoat’ after collapse of case against Broadview Six anti-ICE protesters The former head of the FBI in Chicago has accused the Trump administration of pressuring him to investigate the president’s political opponents and making him a “scapegoat” after a major federal case against anti-ICE protesters fell apart. Douglas DePodesta, who served as FBI special agent in charge from…
Key points
- Douglas DePodesta, former FBI chief in Chicago, sued the Justice Department on Monday.
- He claims he was pressured to investigate Trump's political opponents and then blamed for a failed case.
- The suit names FBI director Kash Patel, attorney general Todd Blanche and US attorney Andrew Boutros.
Douglas DePodesta, who led the FBI's Chicago office from 2024 until July 2026, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Department of Justice. He alleges the department pressured him to investigate President Trump's political opponents and then made him a scapegoat when a major case against anti-ICE protesters collapsed.
The suit names FBI director Kash Patel, attorney general Todd Blanche and Andrew Boutros, the US attorney leading the DoJ's Chicago office. It alleges defamation and violations of DePodesta's due process and free speech rights. DePodesta resigned in July after being with the FBI since 2002.
Claims about the Broadview Six case
The lawsuit centers on the failed prosecution of six activists who protested an ICE facility in Broadview, a Chicago suburb, in September 2025. They were charged with conspiracy to impede an ICE officer, but the case was dismissed after a series of missteps, including a grand jury initially rejecting the charges.
The complaint says Boutros pursued politically motivated prosecutions and made intentionally false statements to a judge. It also says he blamed DePodesta for the case's collapse, including falsely accusing him of conspiring with his sister-in-law, a defense lawyer for one of the defendants.
The American people need to know what is happening within their government … I will not let fear silence me.
— Douglas DePodesta
Pressure during Operation Midway Blitz
During ICE's Operation Midway Blitz crackdown on Chicago last year, Boutros repeatedly pressed DePodesta to open investigations that were politically motivated, the suit alleges. It says Boutros sent emails demanding FBI investigations into people whose political views opposed the Trump administration.
The suit also says Boutros was openly hostile when the FBI declined to write an affidavit claiming a protester assaulted an officer, after video showed only incidental touching. DePodesta told the Chicago Sun-Times that the American people need to know what is happening within their government and that he will not let fear silence him. Spokespeople for the DoJ, Boutros and the FBI did not respond to inquiries.
