At least 10 FBI employees connected to an investigation into Donald Trump have been dismissed, following revelations that the agency subpoenaed personal records of current FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles before Trump returned to office. The dismissals, reported by CBS News and CNN, are linked to the federal investigation led by former special counsel Jack Smith into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
During that investigation, Reuters reported, the FBI subpoenaed phone records of Patel and Wiles, who were private citizens at the time. Patel, who now leads the FBI, criticised the agency in a statement to Reuters, calling the subpoenas 'outrageous and deeply alarming' and accusing the previous FBI leadership of using 'flimsy pretexts' to evade oversight.
Trump faced federal investigations into his possession of classified documents after his first term and alleged interference in the 2020 election. Smith secured indictments in 2023 but dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Patel was considered a key figure in the documents investigation; he testified before a federal grand jury in 2022 under limited immunity. This is not the first firing under Patel: last September, three former senior officials sued him for wrongful termination, claiming they were fired for investigating Trump. In November, a 27-year veteran was dismissed after Patel reportedly became infuriated over press reports about his use of a government plane.
