FBI Fires 10 Agents Who Worked in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Classified Docs Case/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The FBI has fired additional employees who worked on the investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, according to AP sources. The terminations are part of a broader shakeup under FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, that has targeted personnel tied to past Trump-related probes. The FBI Agents Association denounced the firings as unlawful and harmful to national security.
FBI fires agents tied to Trump documents Quick Looks
- AP sources say the FBI terminated employees linked to the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation.
- Multiple people familiar with the matter said roughly 10 employees were fired, with at least 10 cited by one source.
- The moves are described as part of a wider personnel purge under FBI Director Kash Patel.
- The FBI Agents Association condemned the terminations, warning they undermine expertise and morale.
- The Mar-a-Lago case involved an FBI search and a federal prosecution alleging retention of top-secret records and obstruction.
- The bureau has also fired agents connected to the separate investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
- Both major Trump-related prosecutions were later abandoned by special counsel Jack Smith after Trump won in November 2024, reflecting DOJ policy on indicting sitting presidents.
- The firings surfaced the same day Patel said the FBI previously subpoenaed his phone records and those of Susie Wiles while they were private citizens.
Deep Look: FBI Fires 10 Agents Who Worked in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Classified Docs Case
WASHINGTON — The FBI has dismissed additional personnel who worked on investigations involving President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the terminations, in what is being described as an intensifying internal purge under FBI Director Kash Patel.
The latest firings targeted employees who participated in the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. That inquiry drew enormous national attention during Trump’s post-presidency and culminated in a federal criminal case accusing him of holding on to highly sensitive records from his first term and obstructing government efforts to recover them.
The personnel moves were confirmed to The Associated Press by multiple individuals with knowledge of the decision-making, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal employment actions publicly. Several sources said the number of employees fired was around 10, while another described it as at least 10.
The dismissals are the latest example of aggressive staffing changes at the bureau since Patel — a Trump appointee — took over the FBI’s leadership. Over the last year, Patel has overseen the departure of dozens of FBI employees, including individuals who contributed to Trump-related investigations or were viewed internally as not aligned with the administration’s direction, according to the account provided by people familiar with the bureau’s actions.
The shakeups at the FBI have unfolded alongside sweeping personnel changes across the Justice Department. Since Trump returned to office last year, the department has also carried out broad firings of prosecutors, reflecting a wider effort by the administration to reshape federal law enforcement and the institutions that drove investigations connected to Trump during and after his first term.
Pushback from Agents’ Group
The FBI Agents Association, which represents many current and former bureau agents, condemned the terminations in unusually blunt terms. The association characterized the firings as unlawful and warned they could damage the FBI’s ability to carry out its mission.
In a statement, the group argued the removals weaken the bureau by stripping away institutional knowledge and operational experience. It also warned that destabilizing the workforce could erode trust in leadership and complicate recruitment at a moment when federal law enforcement agencies compete for skilled personnel.
The association said the consequences go beyond internal morale, raising the risk to national security by reducing the FBI’s capacity to investigate threats, protect the public, and maintain continuity in complex cases.
Why the Mar-a-Lago Investigation Matters
The Mar-a-Lago documents investigation was among the most consequential criminal cases ever brought involving a former president. It centered on allegations that Trump retained classified materials after leaving office and resisted efforts by the government to reclaim them.
A key moment in the investigation was the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago, which became a political flashpoint and fueled years of debate about executive power, prosecutorial discretion, and how federal law enforcement should handle politically sensitive cases.
The federal prosecution that emerged from the probe charged Trump with holding onto top-secret records and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. But the case — like other major prosecutions tied to Trump — did not continue after he regained the presidency.
Parallel Firings Linked to 2020 Election Probe
The classified documents investigation is not the only Trump-related matter connected to FBI staffing changes. The bureau has also fired agents who worked on the separate investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
That inquiry produced criminal charges as well. However, both the election-related case and the Mar-a-Lago prosecution were later abandoned by special counsel Jack Smith after Trump won the White House in November 2024.
The withdrawal of those prosecutions followed longstanding Justice Department legal opinions holding that a sitting president cannot be indicted — a position that, while not a statute, has guided DOJ decision-making for decades and has shaped how investigations into presidents are handled.
Patel’s Claims About Subpoenas and a Climate of Retaliation Concerns
The firings were revealed the same day Patel was quoted by Reuters describing an earlier period when the FBI, during the Biden administration, subpoenaed his phone records and those of Susie Wiles, now the White House chief of staff. Patel said those subpoenas occurred in 2022 and 2023 while they were private citizens.
Patel’s own connection to the Mar-a-Lago matter has also been scrutinized. The Associated Press has previously reported that Patel was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in 2022 to testify before a grand jury in Washington related to the documents investigation, and that he appeared after being granted immunity.
Those overlapping threads — staffing removals, retaliation allegations, and the legacy of the Trump investigations — have contributed to a broader debate in Washington about the independence of federal law enforcement. Supporters of the administration argue the changes are necessary to restore accountability and correct what they see as politicized enforcement. Critics contend that firing agents tied to prior investigations risks turning federal agencies into tools of political punishment.
What Happens Next
The FBI has not publicly detailed the specific reasons for the latest terminations, and the individuals familiar with the matter did not describe any misconduct findings against the fired employees. The lack of transparency is likely to fuel continued scrutiny from Congress, watchdog organizations, and employee groups as the bureau undergoes rapid institutional change.
For rank-and-file personnel, the firings send a clear message about how leadership views prior work connected to Trump-related cases. For the broader public, they raise a bigger question: whether federal law enforcement can maintain credibility and independence when leadership transitions coincide with politically charged investigations and sweeping staffing actions.
As the bureau continues restructuring under Patel, the impact will be measured not only in legal and political fallout, but in whether the FBI can retain expertise, recruit effectively, and sustain trust while navigating one of the most polarized eras in modern American governance.
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