A former FBI agent who resisted approving a warrant for an investigation into a right-wing group has successfully fought to have related documents unsealed.
Zach Schoffstall, who previously served as a supervisory agent in the FBI’s Salt Lake City division, was reportedly forced out of the agency under the Biden administration due to his refusal to pursue an investigation into the Patriot Front organization, according to prior reports by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Empower Oversight, an organization dedicated to representing whistleblowers, submitted a motion requesting the government to disclose the warrant. After a three-month delay, the government finally agreed to unseal the document, with the only redacted information being the name of the supervisory agent, Schoffstall stated.
The case stems from the 2022 arrest of 31 members of Patriot Front, who were charged with conspiracy to riot after demonstrating at an LGBT event in Idaho. The FBI, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho, urged Schoffstall to approve a warrant related to the case. When he declined, the government sought out other agents willing to sign, including at least one who was unfamiliar with the investigation, Schoffstall previously disclosed.
According to Schoffstall, the warrant was intended to authorize a search of electronic devices belonging to Patriot Front members. He contends that the FBI, Department of Justice (DOJ), and Idaho U.S. Attorney’s Office deliberately withheld the warrant from him, as it could serve as evidence supporting his whistleblower complaints to Congress and his administrative grievances against the government.
The affidavit supporting probable cause, obtained by the Daily Caller, attempted to establish links between the Patriot Front demonstrators and past riots, including those in Charlottesville and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. It suggested a connection between Patriot Front and the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where violent clashes resulted in one counter-protester’s death and multiple injuries.
FBI documents alleged that Patriot Front evolved from the now-defunct group Vanguard America. During the Charlottesville rally, James Fields—who was later convicted for driving into a crowd of counter-protesters—was seen carrying a shield with Vanguard America’s emblem. However, Vanguard America denied any affiliation with Fields.
The George Washington University Program on Extremism has reported that Vanguard America fractured following Charlottesville, with its former leader, Thomas Rousseau, forming Patriot Front. The affidavit cited training videos from the Patriot Front website as alleged evidence of preparation for violent confrontations, characterizing them as “military-style drills.”
The affidavit also referenced the events of January 6, highlighting that Patriot Front members carried shields at the Idaho protest and noting that shields had been used as weapons during the Capitol riot. However, an email from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division (CTD) suggested that Rousseau had discouraged violence and had expelled members who engaged in violent acts.
Schoffstall argued that these internal FBI communications indicated the agency was aware that Patriot Front’s activities, while controversial, were protected under the First Amendment and that its leadership actively sought to prevent violence. A briefing for FBI Executive Management in June 2022 described Patriot Front as a group adhering to racially motivated extremist ideology but not formed with unlawful intent.
Despite these findings, Schoffstall was ultimately pressured out of the FBI for refusing to pursue the case. He believes the government intentionally kept the affidavit from public scrutiny and from being used in a state criminal case to avoid accountability for misleading the court.
In response to concerns about government overreach, Attorney General Pam Bondi established the Weaponization Working Group upon taking office. This initiative is set to investigate instances of alleged government weaponization during the Biden administration, including an FBI memo targeting Catholic organizations and the prosecution of pro-life activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
We need to see accountability in the government. If they intentionally obfuscate the law and decency they need to be dealt with.