Two decorated FBI counterterrorism officials in Washington have been demoted after they questioned a request to open a threat assessment tied to harassing phone calls allegedly received by Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller. Michael Burgwald and Courtland Rae were removed from their posts and sent back to FBI headquarters, according to reporting on the matter.
Burgwald had served as special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Counterterrorism Division, with Rae as his deputy, as reported by the Daily Mail. The pair reportedly raised questions about the legality and legitimacy of the probe after being asked to pursue a counterterrorism threat assessment stemming from alleged harassing calls to Katie Miller, who hosts an eponymous podcast.
The FBI did investigate the alleged calls, according to reports cited in that coverage, but an internal FBI review team ultimately found that the calls did not meet the threshold required to justify an FBI investigation. That finding sits at the center of the dispute over why Burgwald and Rae were pushed out of their roles.
Competing Accounts of Who Made the Call
A senior White House official countered that senior FBI leadership had determined Burgwald and Rae were stifling investigations into serious threats against the Millers, alleging that an elaborate stalking, doxing and threat campaign had targeted the couple's residence. The same official said the Millers had never interacted with or met Burgwald and Rae directly.
Accounts diverge sharply over who ultimately ordered the demotions. FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia said FBI Director Kash Patel did not direct the removal of the two agents, adding that the decisions were based on factors not reflected in reporting and were handled through appropriate Washington field-office processes. Separately, Darren Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said the demotion decision was made at the field-office level based on mission needs and that Patel did not order it.
Neither Burgwald, Rae, Katie Miller, Stephen Miller, nor Patel has offered direct public comment captured in the available reporting, and the exact request made to the two agents beyond the counterterrorism threat-assessment description has not been detailed.
Background on the Millers and the Agents' Records
Stephen and Katie Miller moved from their Arlington, Virginia home to military housing in the Washington, D.C. area in September 2025, after protests occurred outside that Arlington residence, according to the Daily Mail's reporting. Burgwald is a West Point graduate who received a national security-related award in 2016, while Rae worked on the Boston Marathon bombing case earlier in his career.
Part of a Broader Pattern Under Patel
The demotions land amid a string of high-profile personnel moves at the FBI since Patel took over as director. CNN has reported that Patel ordered the ouster of at least 10 employees who had been involved in the investigation into Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents. Patel has also faced criticism over alleged misuse of FBI resources, including reports that an FBI agent security detail was assigned to country singer Alexis Wilkins in November 2025 and that an FBI private jet was used to travel to an event where Wilkins performed the national anthem.
The dispute over Burgwald and Rae's demotions remains unresolved in the public record, with FBI officials and a senior White House official offering conflicting explanations for both the decision and its justification. No original personnel orders or disciplinary documents confirming the demotions have been made public.
