At least 10 FBI employees who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021 have reportedly been dismissed.
The terminations are said to be part of a wider personnel shake-up under FBI Director Kash Patel, who was appointed by Trump. Over the past year, dozens of employees who were involved in investigations concerning the president — or who were perceived as not aligned with the administration’s direction — have reportedly exited the bureau.
The FBI Agents Association criticised the move, describing the firings as unlawful and warning they could undermine national security.
“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilising the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardising the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk,” the association said in a statement.
The latest dismissals include agents who participated in the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. That probe involved a high-profile FBI search of the property and led to federal charges accusing Trump of retaining sensitive records from his first term and obstructing efforts to recover them.
The case, along with a separate investigation into Trump’s efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, was ultimately dropped after Trump returned to the White House in November 2024. The decision followed longstanding Justice Department policy that sitting presidents cannot be indicted.
According to The Associated Press, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter, at least 10 employees were affected in the most recent round of terminations.
The developments coincided with remarks by Patel to Reuters, in which he claimed that during the Biden administration, the FBI had subpoenaed his phone records as well as those of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in 2022 and 2023, when both were private citizens.
Patel himself had been subpoenaed in 2022 to testify before a grand jury in Washington as part of the Mar-a-Lago investigation and reportedly appeared after being granted immunity.
The dismissals mark a significant moment within the bureau, raising fresh debate about leadership, independence, and the long-term impact on federal law enforcement.