At least 10 FBI agents who worked on Trump investigation fired
The terminated FBI staffers all participated in a probe into Trump's handling of classified documents after his first term.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Key People
No people linked to this story
Locations
All Coverage
The terminated FBI staffers all participated in a probe into Trump's handling of classified documents after his first term.
The FBI has fired at least 10 agents involved in the investigation of President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, as part of a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel.
Multiple sources confirm that the FBI has dismissed at least 10 employees who participated in the investigation into former President Trump's retention of classified records after leaving office in 2021.
The FBI has terminated additional agents involved in the investigation into President Trump's handling of classified documents, as part of a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel.
The Associated Press reports that the FBI has fired at least 10 agents involved in the investigation into President Trump's handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, as part of a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel.
The FBI has dismissed additional agents involved in the investigation into President Trump's handling of classified documents, as part of a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel.
At least 10 FBI employees who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Trump's retention of classified records after he left the White House in 2021 were fired on Wednesday, multiple sources told CBS News. The firings came after Reuters reported that the FBI had subpoenaed records of phone calls made by FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles when they were still both private citizens as part of Smith's probe into Trump. The Reuters article quoted Patel, who alleged that the FBI had secretly subpoenaed his phone records "using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight." The Reuters article added that it had not independently verified any of Patel's claims. Patel did not provide any evidence of wrongdoing by the staff who were terminated. Special Counsel Jack Smith oversaw two federal probes into now-President Trump. One case alleged he unlawfully tried to overturn the results of the ... , while the other focused on his retention of classified documents and efforts to obstruct the Justice Department when it asked him to return the files. All of the FBI agents and analysts who were fired on Wednesday were involved with the classified documents case. CBS News confirmed with a source familiar with the matter that Wiles' records were reviewed as part of the documents case, but was unable to verify whether Patel's were. In the case involving the 2020 election, known as Arctic Frost, Patel's records were not subpoenaed, the source added. CBS News has reached out to the FBI for comment. The FBI Agents Association, which represents current and former agents, condemned the firings in a statement, saying they violate FBI employees' due process rights. "These actions weaken the Bureau by ... —ultimately putting the nation at greater risk," the group said. Smith's dual investigations into Mr. Trump led to the first federal criminal indictments against a former president in U.S. history. The classified document charges were dismissed by a federal judge in Florida in mid-2024 on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed, and Smith dropped the 2020 election charges after Mr. Trump won the 2024 race. Since then, the Trump administration has taken aim at federal employees who worked on the two cases. The Justice Department fired a group of prosecutors who worked on Smith's team, and the FBI has fired agents involved in the Arctic Frost election investigation. The investigations into Mr. Trump drew another round of controversy late last year, after the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee revealed that the FBI obtained several Republican lawmakers' phone records as part of the Arctic Frost probe. Those records included basic information about who the lawmakers called in the days surrounding the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, but didn't include the contents of their phone calls. Mr. Trump called for Smith, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and other officials to be "prosecuted for their illegal and highly unethical behavior" in October. Attorneys for Smith called his actions "entirely lawful, proper and consistent with established Department of Justice policy."
Reports indicate that at least 10 FBI staffers involved in the investigation into President Trump's mishandling of classified documents have been dismissed, with the FBI Agents Association condemning the firings as unlawful.
Multiple sources confirm that at least six FBI agents involved in the investigation into President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence have been fired, following revelations about subpoenaed phone records.
The FBI has dismissed agents who worked on cases involving President Trump, including several who worked on the Mar-a-Lago documents case, as part of a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick
The nomination comes after lawmakers objected to his first selection, Bill Pulte, over a lack of relevant experience.
June 11, 2026 at 08:56 PMTrump urges Pulte to fire intelligence community employees, WSJ reports - Reuters
Trump urges Pulte to fire intelligence community employees, WSJ reports Reuters
June 5, 2026 at 04:21 PMJohn Bolton expected to plead guilty in classified documents case, sources confirm
Trump's former advisor turned critic had reached a deal with prosecutors, two people said.
June 4, 2026 at 07:28 PMEx-CIA official accused of stashing $40m in gold bars is 'master manipulator', prosecutors say
The former CIA official has been charged with theft of public funds relating to timesheet claims he made.
June 5, 2026 at 07:13 PMTrump picks top Manhattan federal prosecutor as next intelligence chief - Reuters
Trump picks top Manhattan federal prosecutor as next intelligence chief Reuters
June 11, 2026 at 10:48 PMUS journalist pleads guilty to working as China's agent
Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, knowingly worked with people employed by the Chinese government for years.
June 5, 2026 at 11:20 AM