The FBI Washington Field Office demoted its counterterrorism division head, Michael Burgwald, and his deputy, Courtland Rae, reassigning them to bureau headquarters due to friction over the pace of an investigation into alleged harassing phone calls directed at Katie Miller, the wife of White House aide Stephen Miller.
The Bottom Line
- Leadership Reassignment: Special Agent in Charge Michael Burgwald and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Courtland Rae were stripped of their Washington field office posts and transferred to bureau headquarters on Friday.
- Operational Impact: The reassignments remove decades of counterterrorism expertise from a division directly responsible for Middle East threats during the war with Iran.
- Competing Accounts: While White House and bureau sources point to frustration over a slow-moving threat investigation, Washington Field Office Assistant Director Darren Cox maintained the move was an independent local personnel decision.
Internal Friction and Field Office Reassignments
The leadership shift inside the FBI Washington Field Office followed mounting tension between bureau personnel and political leadership regarding the handling of threats directed at prominent conservative podcaster Katie Miller. According to three people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg Law, bureau leadership moved to reassign the top two officials in the field office’s counterterrorism division on Friday. The orders originated from Darren Cox, the assistant director in charge of the Washington office.
Sources noted that the Millers and their young children had previously relocated from their Arlington residence to military housing last fall following what they characterized as an elaborate doxing, stalking, and threat campaign. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis stated that senior FBI leadership determined the ousted officials were “stifling investigations into very serious threats” and acted unilaterally to remove them. Conversely, Cox issued a statement insisting that “Director Patel did not order this decision” and that it was strictly an internal personnel adjustment based on ongoing mission evaluations.
Weighing Counterterrorism Experience Against Bureau Priorities
The sudden demotions remove two decorated law enforcement veterans from critical operational roles. Michael Burgwald, a West Point graduate, and Courtland Rae have each earned attorney general’s awards over the past two decades. Rae previously supervised the FBI’s response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and both officials contributed to investigations tied to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Former law enforcement officials interviewed by Bloomberg Law and MS NOW warned that the reassignments deplete vital counterterrorism leadership from an office vital to monitoring violent extremism originating from the Middle East.
| Official | Previous Role | Notable Background |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Burgwald | Special Agent in Charge, Counterterrorism Division (Washington Field Office) | West Point graduate; recipient of attorney general’s awards over two decades of service. |
| Courtland Rae | Assistant Special Agent in Charge (Washington Field Office) | Supervised the FBI response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; veteran national security investigator. |
Administrative Fallout and Ongoing Oversight
Unlike other bureau personnel who faced outright termination after crossing paths with FBI Director Kash Patel, Burgwald and Rae retain their positions within the bureau while assigned to headquarters. While MS NOW noted that some internal sources questioned whether harassing phone calls meet standard counterterrorism thresholds, the White House maintained that the threats against the Miller residence required a much more aggressive investigative posture.
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