On October 3, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent was terminated from their position after refusing to engage in a “perp walk” against former director James Comey.
The idea behind a “perp walk” for Comey was likely to humiliate him, as defendants are typically asked to simply report to an FBI field office “for booking after a court summons is issued.” Indeed, Comey ended up voluntarily surrendering himself to a court of law on October 8; he was not a flight risk, nor did he actually need to report to an FBI field office.
The agent in question was “a supervisory member of the FBI’s Washington D.C. violent crimes division.” He was told to arrange “large, beefy” FBI agents to arrest Comey in “full kit;” this demonstrates the intention to humiliate Comey using unprecedented and unprofessional means. As a result of this attempted spectacle, the agent refused orders.
While Comey was formally indicted on September 25 under the allegation of perjury, Trump has repeatedly criticized Comey based on the conspiracy theory that his FBI generated the Russiagate scandal to diminish Trump politically. Trump has utilized unqualified but loyal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan to indict Comey and others deemed as political enemies.
