1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I take oen in hand to write and urge you to push for immediate restoration of the DOJ’s counterterrorism unit to full capacity and replacement of the experienced prosecutors and agents forced out since January. There’s no reason for the dangerous short-staffing of this unit when we are at war with a state known to inspire terrorism. This isn't theoretical. The counterespionage section disrupted a 2024 Iranian murder plot against a journalist in Brooklyn and arrested Iranian operatives conducting surveillance on American citizens in 2018. Now we're facing heightened terrorism threats related to the Iran war and ongoing Chinese espionage campaigns, but the FBI has lost approximately 300 agents, including at least 50 in leadership positions specializing in counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber operations. This is very, very dangerous. The consequences are already visible. Recent terrorism incidents in New York City and Austin happened while the FBI's counterterrorism capacity was being decimated. Applications for FISA warrants have dropped more than 50% in the last year. The U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia hasn't replaced its chief of national security prosecutions. FBI agents can't find prosecutors to consult on pressing cases. The list of issues goes on. As a nation we are less safe when our nation’s intelligence and security apparatus is not on the job. Force the DOJ to fully staff this unit with qualified personnel before something really bad happens here as an outcome of the war on Iran. Thank you.