Ex-FBI official fired by Trump admin lobs DOJ weaponization accusation while launching US House bid

Former assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office Dave Sundberg has mounted a bid for U.S. Congress, accusing President Donald Trump's administration of weaponizing the Justice Department.

The U.S. House hopeful accused the administration of firing him while sweeping out people who wouldn't execute the president's political aims.

"In January 2025, I was fired by the Trump Administration as part of a retaliatory purge against those who refused to carry out the President’s political agenda. While they took my job, they cannot take my oath," he declared in a Facebook post.

David Sundberg, with the FBI, speaks during a press conference held by the Department of Justice on April 17, 2023. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

In a press release on his campaign website, Sundberg asserted, "I have watched as the White House has weaponized the Department of Justice against political opponents and used the National Guard to intimidate our own citizens, all while seizing levers of power that are supposed to be balanced across government."

"We are reaching a point where we may not recover from this. I am running to ensure Congress becomes a co-equal branch of government again and does not abdicate its responsibility to push back," he declared.

Steny Hoyer arrives in Christianborg Palace on Jan. 16, 2026, in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images)

Sundberg is running in the Democratic primary in Maryland's 5th Congressional District, which is an open contest because Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer announced last month that he will not seek another term.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall said, "Yet another out-of-touch Democrat campaign built on obsessively attacking President Trump and his overwhelmingly popular agenda, without any plans of their own to lower costs and help working families."

David Sundberg, then-assistant director in charge of the FBI Boston Division, is seen at a press conference inside the Moakley Federal Courthouse. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)