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FBI terminates agents linked to Trump documents investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has fired approximately 10 employees who participated in the inquiry into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified materials, CBS News reported on Wednesday.
Context of the investigation
The terminated staffers were part of a probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith after Trump left office in 2021. The investigation focused on classified documents Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and allegations he obstructed efforts to retrieve them.
A separate federal case examined whether Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. In 2023, Trump and two associates were indicted in the documents case, though a Florida judge dismissed the charges in 2024, ruling Smith's appointment was unlawful.
Subpoenas and broader fallout
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed to Reuters that federal agents subpoenaed his phone records while he was a private citizen during the documents probe. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, also a private citizen at the time, faced a similar subpoena.
Patel did not provide evidence of misconduct by the fired FBI employees. The Bureau has not commented on the terminations.
Reactions and consequences
The FBI Agents Association, representing current and former agents, condemned the firings in a statement. The group argued the dismissals erode trust in leadership, undermine recruitment, and weaken the Bureau's operational capacity.
"These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau's ability to meet its recruitment goals-ultimately putting the nation at greater risk."
FBI Agents Association
Broader personnel actions
Since Trump's return to the White House in January, the Justice Department and FBI have dismissed employees involved in investigations against him. The department also sought charges against former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who pursued a civil fraud case against Trump.
In Georgia, a federal appeals court recently dismissed the last remaining defendants in the election interference case at the request of Trump's Justice Department.
