The Federal Bureau of Investigation has dismissed roughly 10 employees who were involved in the investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office, according to confirmation from the BBC’s US partner CBS.

The terminations, carried out on Wednesday, come amid renewed scrutiny of the federal probe that examined Trump’s retention of sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida following the end of his first term in 2021.

FBI Director Kash Patel told Reuters that during the documents investigation, federal agents subpoenaed his phone records while he was a private citizen. He also said that Susie Wiles, now serving as White House chief of staff, had her phone records subpoenaed under similar circumstances. Patel did not allege wrongdoing by the dismissed employees.

After Trump left office, Special Counsel Jack Smith led two federal investigations concerning the former president. One examined efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The other focused on classified documents Trump transported to his Florida estate and his alleged attempts to obstruct the US Department of Justice from recovering them.

Trump and two associates were indicted in 2023 as part of the classified documents inquiry. However, in 2024, a federal judge in Florida dismissed the case against Trump, ruling that Smith had been unlawfully appointed. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court in Georgia dropped charges against the remaining defendants at the request of the Justice Department under Trump’s administration.

The FBI employees dismissed this week were all involved in the classified documents case. The bureau has not publicly commented on the firings.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents current and former agents, criticised the move, warning it could undermine institutional stability.

“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.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, both the Justice Department and the FBI have taken steps affecting personnel involved in prior investigations into him. The Justice Department has also pursued legal action against former FBI Director James Comey, who was dismissed by Trump in 2017, and Letitia James, who led a civil fraud lawsuit against the president. (Arise News)

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