At least a dozen agents have switched their private Facebook profile pics, replacing them with photos of themselves and ousted director James Comey, or with images of just Comey — a gesture usually reserved for slain colleagues who died in the line of duty, the Daily Beast reports.
News of James Comey’s abrupt firing Tuesday night sent shockwaves through the bureau, where Comey enjoys tremendous loyalty and appreciation for his independence.
“Agents are disappointed,” former special agent M. Quentin Williams told TheWrap. “Director Comey was well liked. There is uncertainty about what’s happening right now.”
FBI morale — which was relatively high under Comey — has now plummeted, with many agents still trying to wrap their minds around what had just happened.
“FBI agents are good at collecting info, deciphering facts from fiction and processing that info in a away that’s both efficient and effective,” Williams said. “That’s what they’re doing right now.”
“Changing their photo is one of the ways they can speak out without going outside the parameters of their professionals standards,” he added.
According to Williams, many of his former colleagues and friends are feeling “a lot of sadness.”
“The FBI is a family,” he said. “When you go kick down doors together, there’s a bond that’s almost unbreakable.”