NEW: Kash Patel Cleans House, Fires Multiple Senior FBI Officials

A number of senior FBI officials, including a former active director and a number of high-ranking officials who worked on the Biden Administration’s controversial cases against President Donald Trump, have been formally let go.

Among those fired was Brian Driscoll, who previously served as acting director after his predecessor, Christopher Wray, resigned in the waning days of the Biden Administration. Driscoll has been ordered to vacate his office at the bureau’s Washington Field Office no later than Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Steve Jensen, who currently works as assistant director in charge of the powerful D.C. office, has also been axed.

Back in February, then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a memo to Driscoll directing him to terminate eight senior bureau employees effective immediately. The acting director was further directed to provide a list of all employees who worked on the sprawling January 6 crackdown for a formal review.

“For each employee included in the list, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution,” Bove directed. “Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.”

Eight senior FBI officials, including the directors of the bureau’s field offices in Washington D.C. and Miami, were among those fired immediately.

Driscoll refused to comply with turning over the list, however. “As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always,” he wrote.

Multiple FBI agents who spoke with NBC News on the condition of anonymity praised Driscoll for “pushing back hard” against the Trump Administration. “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F**k Off,” one agent said. Driscoll is no longer “holding his ground,” however, as his tenure with the bureau is set to end on Friday afternoon.

In an email sent to his colleagues on Thursday, Driscoll said it was an “honor” to serve alongside them and did not provide a reason for his termination. “I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I currently have no answers. No cause has been articulated at this time,” Driscoll wrote.

Steven Jensen — who played a key role in overseeing the bureau’s crackdown on the January 6 Capitol protests — also confirmed that he was fired on Wednesday night. “I intend to meet this challenge like any other I have faced in this organization, with professionalism, integrity, and dignity,” he wrote in an email to his colleagues.

In addition to overseeing the crackdown on January 6 protesters — whom he described as “terrorists” on more than one occasion — Jensen also managed operations targeting parents at school board meetings and traditional Catholics attending Latin mass.

In addition to Driscoll and Jensen, longtime bureau employee Walter Giardina has also been let go. Giardina worked on the Russian collusion case and played a key role in the Biden Administration’s case against Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro.