President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to shake up America's federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The latest example of that shake-up played out this week when the head of the FBI’s New York Field Office was forced to resign.

Assistant director claims he "was not given a reason for this decision"

According to the New York Post, Assistant Director James Dennehy announced that he was leaving on Monday in a letter to his staff.

"Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did. I was not given a reason for this decision," the Post quoted Dennehy's letter as stating.

Head of New York’s FBI field office James Dennehy forced to resign in Trump admin shakeup https://t.co/291RtlpFtB pic.twitter.com/TYIRPWur1G

— New York Post (@nypost) March 3, 2025

Dennehy went on to apologize for the suddenness of his departure and hailed them as "professionals who will always do the right thing for the right reasons."

Dennehy clashed with Trump administration over January 6

"I’ve been told many times in my life, 'When you find yourself in a hole, sometimes it’s best to quit digging.' Screw that," the former Marine continued.

Dennehy concluded by pledging that he "will never stop defending this joint," adding, "I’ll just do it willingly and proudly from outside the wire."

The Post noted how Dennehy previously clashed with acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove in February over the dismissal of those who helped investigate the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.

"Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the FBI and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy," Dennehy in an email.

New York field office accused of hiding Epstein files

The Post explained how Dennehy joined the FBI in 2002 after serving in the Marine Corp and was assigned to counterintelligence cases in the NY Field Office.

In 2018 he became chief of staff to the executive assistant director of the National Security Branch at FBI headquarters, where he oversaw matters relating to counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and weapons of mass destruction.

This is not the first time that the FBI's New York Field Office has made headlines in recent weeks, as last month it was accused by Attorney General Pam Bondi of withholding "thousands of pages of documents" connected with Jeffrey Epstein.

"By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained," Bondi wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel.