A new report has revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel has let go of several bureau employees who were connected with the 2022 search of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, going on to allege that his own phone records were obtained without his knowledge while former President Joe Biden was in office, as part of investigations into then-former President Trump.
At least six FBI agents involved in the August 2022 search were given the boot by Patel, according to information shared by six individuals who are familiar with the situation. Three of the six sources stated that there were 10 employees total who were fired, including agents, supervisors, and support staff. The firings took place on the same day Patel discovered that federal authorities acquired his phone records during Biden’s administration in connection with investigations into Trump.
Patel gave a statement to the press saying it was “outrageous and deeply alarming” that previous FBI leadership “secretly subpoenaed” his records. And his weren’t the only ones obtained in the shadows. Those of now-White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were also taken. It was then revealed that the process of obtaining the records was put in files in order to avoid oversight.
According to Breitbart News, the firings were confirmed by the FBI Agents Association on February 25, 2026. The organization released a statement condemning the terminations, calling them “unlawful” before going on to claim Patel’s move “violates the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect our country.”
The group then said that “these actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce,” issuing a warning that the terminations erode trust in current leadership and threaten the FBI’s ability to meet recruitment needs. NBC News pointed out in its report that since President Trump has been back in the White House, the FBI has fired employees with connections to the Mar-a-Lago investigations, as well as investigations related to January 6 cases.
The August 8, 2022 search of the president’s Florida residence was authorized by U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who signed the warrant on August 5, several days prior to the raid. The warrant granted the FBI permission to search the “45 Office,” storage rooms, and other areas used by Trump and members of his staff, while also excluding guest suites and areas that were occupied by third parties.
A series of internal emails that were later obtained Fox News and reported on by Breitbart, revealed that a number of FBI officials expressed major concerns and reservations before the raid took place about whether there was sufficient probable cause to execute the warrant. One of the assistant special agents in charge said that, “very little has been developed related to who might be culpable for mishandling the documents,” going on to point out reliance on “single source” information that had “not been corroborated.”
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Another official involved in the investigation also questioned if it was “fair to table this” given the lack of new information. The same agent then cited a lack of “new facts supporting PC.” This meant that this individual also wasn’t sure there was sufficient probable cause to conduct the search. And yet, despite these concerns, the Justice Department under Biden’s leadership moved forward with the search.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video