A series of internal F.B.I. emails released on Thursday showed that agents and officials followed standard procedure nearly three years ago when they opened the historic criminal investigation into Donald J. Trump’s attempts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 election.
The emails were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee in the middle of a contentious hearing for the nominee for F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, at which Republicans sought to paint the F.B.I. as a politicized agency that improperly went after targets like Mr. Trump.
But in fact, the emails showed that F.B.I. investigators took normal bureaucratic steps and precautions when opening the extraordinarily sensitive inquiry into Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the election using slates of electors pledged to him in states he had actually lost.
The emails also revealed the names of several F.B.I. agents and bureau officials who worked on the Trump investigation. It is rare for the F.B.I. or the Justice Department to disclose the names of specific agents working on cases — particularly at a time when public servants are facing rampant threats….