In a bold and politically charged move, John Sullivan, a former FBI intelligence analyst who resigned over the direction of the bureau under President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel, announced Tuesday that he is running for Congress in New York’s 17th District.
With a campaign rooted in national security, political accountability, and post-Trump reckoning, Sullivan is challenging Rep. Michael Lawler, a Republican incumbent he paints as an ally of tech magnate Elon Musk and the far-right.
“For 17 years, I served in secret… now I’m stepping out of the shadows to run for Congress,” Sullivan declared in his launch video, blending biography with a clear message: this is a personal mission.
Sullivan’s resume reads like a dossier of American threats. In two decades at the FBI, he says he fought against “Russia, foreign terrorists, and drug cartels,” and in the final stretch, turned his attention to the domestic sphere: the January 6 Capitol riot.
For 17 years, I served in secret, protecting us from threats like Russia, foreign terrorists and drug cartels, and eventually the insurrectionists who stormed our Capitol.
Now, I’m stepping out of the shadows to run for Congress. pic.twitter.com/CV7XYsR2ix
— John Sullivan (@FBI_Sullivan) April 22, 2025
He calls his work on those cases “one of [his] proudest moments,” but ultimately says he couldn’t stay silent under what he calls a campaign to weaponize the FBI for political ends.
“I saw the threat Donald Trump and Kash Patel are to American safety and security and I couldn’t stand idly by any more.”
In a resignation letter posted to Substack, Sullivan expressed outrage at Trump’s mass pardons — claiming over 1,500 January 6 defendants were granted clemency and that some made threats against FBI employees shortly after release.
Last week, after nearly 17 years on the job, I resigned from the FBI.
I saw the threat Donald Trump and Kash Patel are to American safety and security and I couldn’t stand idly by any more. See my full resignation letter below.https://t.co/5Byw8z2Eeg pic.twitter.com/ix2ivMExGz
— John Sullivan (@FBI_Sullivan) April 7, 2025
“These threats are real because Trump released 1,500 violent insurrectionists into our communities,” he wrote.
Sullivan is positioning himself as the counterweight to what he views as creeping authoritarianism. He accused Patel — Trump’s former national security aide turned FBI appointee — of trying to turn the FBI into “Trump’s personal detective agency.”
And he’s not just targeting Patel. In his announcement, he called out his opponent Michael Lawler as “Elon Musk’s favorite congressman,” a jab intended to tie Lawler to powerful interests and far-right online culture.
TWEEPS: With trump’s latest executive order targeting whistleblowers, the rule of law is under attack. It’s why 17-year veteran John Sullivan retired from the FBI last week. His integrity should be celebrated, not shunned.
He breaks down the threat here:https://t.co/a939RvveLS
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) April 10, 2025
Sullivan’s entrance into the race instantly escalates it into a high-profile contest. NY-17 is already viewed as a swing district, and Lawler’s 2022 win marked a rare Republican victory in the New York suburbs during a Democratic-heavy cycle.
Now, Democrats see a chance to flip the seat — and Sullivan, with his national security credentials, is betting voters are still haunted by the events of January 6 and wary of another Trump presidency.
