WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he intends to dismiss "some" FBI agents involved in investigating the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"I'll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt. I have no doubt about that. I got to know a lot about that business, that world," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We had some corrupt agents, and those people are gone, or they will be gone."

At Trump's request, the FBI turned over details of nearly 6,000 employees who worked on the Jan. 6 cases earlier this week. In response, a group of agents has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department (DOJ), calling the action "politically motivated retribution."

"Upon returning to the presidency, Mr. Trump has ordered the DOJ to conduct a review and purge of FBI personnel involved in these investigations and prosecutions," the lawsuit states. "This directive is unlawful and retaliatory and violates the Civil Service Reform Act."

The nine agents who filed the lawsuit allege that Acting Attorney General James McHenry and other DOJ officials are retaliating against them by distributing surveys about their involvement in Jan. 6 investigations, potentially leading to terminations or other adverse employment actions.

On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaking through doors and windows while clashing with law enforcement. Lawmakers were forced to take shelter as rioters entered Congress in scenes of chaos not witnessed at the Capitol since British forces set fire to the building during the War of 1812. — Agencies