FBI Director Kash Patel Dismisses Officials Tied to Trump Documents Probe
FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly dismissed at least ten FBI employees who were connected to the federal investigation into Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents. This significant personnel action follows recent revelations that the FBI, under its previous leadership, subpoenaed the personal phone records of Patel himself and current White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during the years preceding Trump's return to office.
Investigation Background and Subpoena Revelations
The dismissals, as reported by major news outlets including CBS News and CNN, are directly linked to the high-profile investigation led by former Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith. This probe centered on classified documents discovered at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after his first presidential term concluded.
During the course of this investigation, Reuters reported that the FBI issued subpoenas for records of phone calls made by both Kash Patel and Susie Wiles. At the time these subpoenas were executed, both individuals were private citizens, though they maintained close associations with Donald Trump.
Patel's Strong Rebuttal and Accusations
The FBI has not publicly commented on these recent developments. However, in a statement provided to Reuters, Director Patel issued a sharp rebuke of the agency's prior actions under his predecessors. He characterized the subpoenas as evidence of governmental overreach, allegedly perpetuated by the Biden administration.
"It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records – along with those of now White House chief of staff Susie Wiles – using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight," Patel stated emphatically.
Broader Context of the Trump Investigations
The classified documents case was one of two major federal investigations targeting Donald Trump. The second involved accusations of interference in the 2020 presidential election. Special Counsel Jack Smith's team secured indictments in 2023, accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified materials and conspiring to overturn his electoral defeat.
However, Smith dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. A federal judge recently blocked further publication of Smith's detailed investigative report.
Patel's Role and Previous FBI Personnel Actions
Kash Patel has long been considered a significant figure in the documents investigation. As a top adviser to Trump during the relevant period, he was compelled to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington in 2022 regarding the unauthorized retention of government documents. For his testimony, he was granted limited immunity.
This is not the first instance of public dismissals at the FBI under Patel's leadership. Last September, three former senior officials, each with decades of service, sued Patel and the federal government for wrongful termination. They claimed they were fired for their involvement in investigating Trump.
In a separate incident last November, the bureau dismissed an official with 27 years of service after Patel became angered by press reports alleging he used a government aircraft for personal purposes.
This report includes information contributed by Reuters.
