FBI Director Kash Patel has ordered the dismissal of at least ten employees linked to the investigation into President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, marking a significant move in his ongoing purge of personnel involved in prior probes against the president. These firings stem from an internal review Patel launched after discovering that the FBI had subpoenaed his own phone records, along with those of Susie Wiles—now White House Chief of Staff—during a 2022-2023 inquiry that fell under special counsel Jack Smith. Patel publicly condemned the actions as outrageous government overreach by the previous administration, accusing officials of using weak pretexts and hiding details in case files to dodge oversight, though no independent verification of misconduct by the fired staff has surfaced.
The terminations, reported across multiple outlets on February 25, 2026, target agents and personnel directly tied to the Mar-a-Lago search and broader Trump documents case, which had led to federal charges later dismissed following Trump's 2024 reelection. This follows a pattern under Patel's leadership, including earlier ousters of officials probing Trump-related matters, such as January 6 investigations, and lawsuits from veteran agents claiming wrongful dismissal. The FBI Agents Association decried the moves as violating due process, warning they erode expertise, destabilize the workforce, and heighten national security risks by undermining recruitment and public trust. Neither the FBI nor representatives for Smith or Wiles have commented publicly, amid Trump's insistence that he committed no wrongdoing in retaining the materials.
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