Kash Patel Ousts FBI Employees Connected to Trump Classified Documents Case

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly fired several employees linked to the 2022 search of Florida estate. According to sources familiar with the situation, Director Kash Patel ousted at least 10 staff members, including agents, supervisors and support personnel, NBC News reported.

The firings mark one of the most dramatic internal shake-ups at the FBI in recent years.

Trump faced criminal charges over his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. After leaving the White House following his first term, Trump allegedly took presidential records with him to the Florida estate, which serves as his private residence.

The U.S. Department of Justice investigated whether classified material was improperly retained and whether efforts were made to obstruct the government’s attempts to recover the documents.

A separate criminal case accused him of conspiring to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election.

A judge appointed by Trump dismissed the classified documents case, while attorney Jack Smith moved to drop the election interference case after Trump won a second term in 2024 and Smith was serving as special counsel, as per NBC News.

Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The latest development came the same day Patel claimed federal authorities obtained his phone recordings from the Biden administration in connection with the Trump investigations.

“It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” Patel said in a statement to Reuters on February 25.

The FBI Agents Association condemned the firings in an official statement. “The FBIAA condemns today’s unlawful termination of FBI Special Agents, which—like other firings by Director Patel—violates the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect our country,” the association members said.

“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.”

Kash Patel was recently criticized for travelling to Italy during the 2026 Winter Olympics after footage emerged showing him celebrating Team USA’s ice hockey gold medal victory in the locker room, including drinking beer with players.

Patel was filmed wearing a gold medal and dancing with the players as they sang “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” by Toby Keith.

The video, widely circulated in the media, sparked speculation about the purpose of Patel’s trip to Milan and drew criticism over optics, particularly as he traveled to Italy aboard the FBI’s private jet.

The FBI director addressed the criticism in a post on X, defending his actions and celebrating the moment. “For the very concerned media—yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted gold medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys. Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth,” Patel wrote.