New FBI special agent in Seattle discusses agency's priorities in 2021

SEATTLE — Fighting terrorism is one of the top jobs for the FBI field office in Seattle, and the agency has a new top boss who spoke to KOMO News recently about his priorities and some of the top issues facing the Bureau.

Newly named FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office Donald Voiret said he's about transparency, teamwork and fighting terrorism.

He said there is a special brand of terrorism that concerns him so much that it often interferes with his sleep at night: the home grown violent extremist and domestic terrorists.

"The lone actor (or) the lone wolf," said Voiret about the type of offender who ranks high on his list who concern him the most. "Those are the ones."

He helped set up the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001. Voiret said the FBI was getting tips from public all the time back then, but now they need that kind of momentum again when it comes to identifying and tracking lone wolf suspects.

"Most of my Bureau career has been (in) counter-terrorism," he said, adding that counter-terrorism remains the bureaus number one priority.

His 19 years with the bureau include work in counterterrorism to counterintelligence to internal investigations.

Most recently he served as the FBI's legal attaché to London.

Before the bureau he put in 16 years in law enforcement in Florida.

He said Washington is a good fit for his experience and his concerns regarding domestic terrorism or DT.

"In the state of Washington you probably see more domestics than other states in the U.S.," Voiret said. "This could be someone sitting in their basement at home and making these plans to do something bad and then how do you stop that?"

And what makes it so tricky.

"Things we are good at don't apply to what we see here on the side for us on those we rely on public," Voiret said, adding that combatting international terrorist allows agents to track their overseas communications and travel records, things that can't be done or are more difficult when a lone wolf is often underground and unseen.

After the 9/11 attack in New York, Voiret said he helped to set up the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Rhode Island. Voiret said agents would receive countless tips from the public, but that has waned.

He said the bureau again needs that type of outreach to help identify lone wolf attackers.

"If something doesn't look right, call the bureau or state and local police," Voiret said. "You can remain anonymous."

Voiret moved here from London and accepted the position after his predecessor, Raymond Duda, accepted a promotion with the FBI and moved back to the East Coast.

"One of my draws to Seattle is the different work they have here," Voiret said. "We do everything (that is a) good mix of national security cases and criminal cases."

Other priorities for the Seattle Field Office include investigating reports of:

• Child exploitation, which also already includes three task forces;
• Cybercrimes;
• Hate speech;
• Drug crimes;
• Counter-intelligence;
• Arson;
• Wire fraud, and;
• Spoofing.

The FBI is also responsible for investigating federal crimes that are committed on any of the state's 29 Indian reservations.

Voiret echoed his boss, FBI Director Chris Wray, who said one of the greatest domestic terrorist threats is White supremacists. But the new special agent in charge stressed the bureau doesn't track extremist groups, it only investigates if there's a clear violation of federal law.

"It's not enough to be a member or say they are a part of this group," Voiret said. "It's that overt act that would lead us to investigate them."

When asked if Antifa is a known group on the FBI's radar, Voiret said: "It's just more of an ideology or a belief."

After the Jan. 6 deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI issued a bulletin warning U.S. states about the potential threats at their capitol buildings. There were no known threats, just the potential and to this day Voiret said there are still no known threats to the Washington state Capitol campus.

But Voiret added they continue to work with their local, state and federal partners to keep Washingtonians protected and safe.

"Our priority will always be counter-terrorism," he said. "That will never change. Especially after 9/11 . . . . we always (have) got to be on our game."

He brushed off criticism and attacks on the FBI's credibility over the last few years, insisting that it does not affect him.

"I believe 99 percent of the FBI," Voiret said. "We have a job to do. We come in and we do our job, whatever the attacks on our credibility we are still going to come in every day and focus on the mission and get the job done."

Voiret stressed the significance of working with those FBI partners, and help from the community at large. He said he's already been in touch with the Seattle Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.

He's responsibility stretches statewide, with about 400 FBI employees, most of whom are agents and intelligence analysts. When you add in their partners at the local, state and federal levels, his influence grows to nearly 500 people.

"Transparency (is) something I believe in," Voiret said. "We can't do this job, whether it's domestic terrorism or drugs, we can't do it alone."