At least 10 FBI staffers who worked on Mar-a-Lago case are fired, sources say
#FBI firings #Mar-a-Lago case #Jack Smith investigation #Classified records #Trump administration #FBI Director Kash Patel #Due process #Political retribution
📌 Key Takeaways
- At least 10 FBI employees working on the Mar-a-Lago documents case were fired
- Firings followed reports that FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had their phone records subpoenaed
- FBI Agents Association condemned the firings as violations of due process rights
- This is part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration targeting employees involved in investigations into the president
📖 Full Retelling
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 private citizens as part of Smith's probe. Patel 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,' though he provided no evidence of wrongdoing by the terminated staff. All of the fired agents and analysts were specifically involved with the classified documents case, with CBS News confirming that Wiles' records were reviewed as part of this investigation but unable to verify Patel's involvement. The FBI Agents Association condemned the firings, stating they violate employees' due process rights and 'weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce,' while the Trump administration has systematically targeted employees involved in Smith's investigations since taking office.
🏷️ Themes
Political Investigations, Government Accountability, FBI Operations, Presidential Records
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Original Source
Politics At least 10 FBI staffers who worked on Mar-a-Lago documents case are fired, sources say By Sarah N. Lynch Sarah N. Lynch Senior Justice Department Reporter Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Sarah N. Lynch Updated on: February 25, 2026 / 10:00 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google 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 2020 presidential election, 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 th...
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