FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly dismissed at least 10 FBI agents connected to the investigation into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, according to multiple news outlets on Wednesday. The firings mark a significant development inside the bureau following renewed scrutiny of actions taken during former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal probe.
The reported terminations came after Patel initiated an internal investigation into the FBI’s conduct surrounding Smith’s inquiry into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. The review was launched after Patel said he discovered that the FBI had issued subpoenas for his own phone records, as well as those of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, at a time when both were private citizens.
Patel described the subpoenas as “outrageous and deeply alarming,” accusing the bureau of relying on what he called “flimsy pretexts” and attempting to “evade all oversight.” His comments were made in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday, just hours before CNN, CBS, and Reuters reported that multiple FBI officials tied to the probe had been fired.
The move appears to be part of a broader shake-up within the agency. According to reports, Patel had already taken similar action in recent weeks. In January, senior field office leaders in Atlanta and New Orleans were allegedly dismissed, along with the acting assistant director overseeing the New York field office and six agents in Miami. All were said to have ties to one of Smith’s investigations into Trump. Those firings reportedly occurred shortly after Smith testified before Congress defending his prosecutorial decisions.
During his congressional testimony, Smith stood by his actions. “I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump,” Smith said in his opening statement. “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity.”
Smith’s probe had led to a grand jury indictment charging Trump with 40 felony counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified materials. The charges followed a 2022 FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, where allegedly classified documents were found stored in public areas of the property.
However, the legal and political landscape shifted after Trump was elected to a second term. Smith ultimately dropped the classified documents case following Trump’s victory.
More recently, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon blocked the Justice Department from releasing portions of Smith’s report related to the classified documents investigation. In doing so, she sided with the president and his co-defendants, further complicating efforts to make details of the probe public.
Patel’s reported firings signal a forceful response to what he has characterized as troubling actions taken by the bureau during the high-profile investigation. By targeting agents connected to the probe and ordering a review of the subpoena process, Patel appears to be sending a clear message about accountability within the agency.
As the dust continues to settle from one of the most contentious investigations in recent political history, the shake-up inside the FBI underscores the lasting impact of the classified documents saga — not only in the courtroom, but within the nation’s top law enforcement agency itself.
