FBI director Kash Patel fires 6 agents linked to Donald Trump Mar-a-Lago documents probe: Report

FBI sackings spark backlash over Trump probe

Kash Patel has ordered the dismissal of at least six FBI agents linked to the 2022 investigation into US President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, according to US media reports on Wednesday.

The decision has prompted sharp criticism from the body representing FBI personnel.

According to a report by News18, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Donald Trump’s Florida estate in 2022, when he was out of office, as part of a probe into the alleged mishandling of classified material after his first term in the White House. The investigation involved sensitive records from the Pentagon and the CIA, though the case was later abandoned.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In July 2024, US District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, threw out the documents case, ruling that former special counsel Jack Smith had been unlawfully appointed. The US Department of Justice lodged an appeal but ultimately withdrew the case after Trump won the November 2024 presidential election and returned to office.

The FBI Agents Association confirmed that the sackings had taken place, although it did not disclose the precise number of agents affected. The association condemned the move, arguing it breached “the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect the United States.”

“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk,” the association said in a statement.

Media reports indicated that the dismissals occurred on the same day Patel claimed authorities had accessed his phone records during Trump-related investigations carried out under the Biden administration, at a time when he was not heading the agency.