Trump 2nd term updates: Trump attends the Super Bowl

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has sent a letter to the Justice Department workforce seeking to clarify his request for information on the agents and employees involved in investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

In the memo, obtained by ABC News, Bove said, "No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties."

"The only individuals who should be concerned about the process ... are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI," he added.

Bove's letter confirmed that acting leadership at the FBI initially refused to hand over information on the "core team" in Washington that was "responsible for the investigation relating to events" on Jan. 6, which he describes as an act of "insubordination."

"There is no honor in the ongoing efforts to distort that simple truth or protect culpable actors from scrutiny on these issues, which have politicized the Bureau, harmed its credibility, and distracted the public from the excellent work being done every day," Bove wrote. "If you have witnessed such behavior, I encourage you to report it through appropriate channels."

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump's Gaza plan during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, calling it an "out-of-the-box idea" and dodging questions about whether the United States plans to deploy the military to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza.

"The president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza. He has also said that the United States is not going to pay for the rebuilding of Gaza. His administration is going to work with our partners in the region, to reconstruct this region," she said.

When pressed by ABC News' Mary Bruce if the deployment of U.S. troops is an option, Leavitt repeatedly said, "Again, the president has not committed to U.S. troops in the region."

Last night, when asked about sending U.S. troops to Gaza, Trump appeared open to it by saying he would do "what is necessary."

"I can confirm that the president is committed to rebuilding Gaza and to temporarily relocating those who are there because, as I've showed you repeatedly, it is a demolition site," Leavitt said.

The press secretary added that "the president has said he's been socializing this idea for quite some time" and that it "was not a decision or announcement that he takes lightly."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency responsible for forecasting the weather, researching and analyzing climate and weather data and monitoring and tracking extreme weather events like hurricanes, is being scrutinized by the Department of Government Efficiency, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

According to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the ranking member of a subcommittee with jurisdiction over NOAA, members of Congress and at least one member of DOGE entered the Department of Commerce, the department that houses NOAA, and requested and was granted access to the NOAA IT systems.

DOGE was first denied access to the NOAA IT servers but now has access, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

DOGE is looking for anything tied to DEI and that they removed anything DEI-related from bulletin boards, including posters and signs, the sources said. They also checked bathroom signs to ensure they complied with Trump's executive orders.

– ABC News' Matthew Glasser, Kelly Livingston, Will Steakin, Daniel Peck and Ginger Zee

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian political analyst, secretary-general and co-founder of the Palestinian National Initiative and head of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, told ABC News that Trump's comments are in violation of international law, saying the president is "practically advocating a war crime of ethnic cleansing."

Barghouti also expressed how irrational and ignorant the plan is, comparing it to forcing New Yorkers to move to Mexico or Afghanistan.

"Did he ever talk to any Palestinian about these plans? Of course not," he said, emphasizing that Palestinians completely reject the U.S. president's comments.

– ABC News' Caitlan Fallon, Jonetta Badillo and Casey McShea