'Why?' Judge snaps as 'squishy' DOJ lawyer won't commit to keeping FBI agent names secret

U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb snapped at an attorney for President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) who could not guarantee that a list of FBI agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases would not be released to the public.

At a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, attorney Norm Eisen argued on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association that the DOJ should be enjoined from using a list of FBI agents who worked on cases against Trump and the Jan. 6 rioters.

MSNBC's Adam Klasfeld noted that the judge indicated that she would rule on the side of the agents if the names were likely to be released.

According to Klasfeld, the DOJ attorney said he could not guarantee to Cobb that the list had not already been disseminated.

"I don't have reason to believe that it's occurred," the attorney said.

Cobb slammed the lawyer for a "squishy representation" for not having a definitive answer.

The DOJ lawyer went on to insist that he had no "present intention" of releasing the information — but couldn't make the same commitment for the rest of the government.

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"Why? You're the attorney for the United States government," Cobb snapped, Klasfeld reported.

"It's not a question of 'resistance.' It's that the government is a vast entity," the DOJ's attorney replied.