The Trump administration is reportedly planning to fire “dozens” of FBI agents involved in investigations related to President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Sources say officials are particularly reviewing whether individuals connected to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents and his role in Jan. 6 should be included in the dismissals. Additionally, they are considering removing personnel who may resist implementing the administration’s new policies.
The firings could begin as early as Friday, with a final list expected by Monday, sources said. The potential dismissals reportedly include the heads of multiple FBI field offices across the country, with significant cuts expected at the Washington, D.C., Field Office.
When asked for comment, an FBI spokesperson told ABC News: “The FBI is declining to comment on any questions regarding FBI personnel matters. We have also instructed the public affairs officers in our field offices to decline to comment as well.”
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, was questioned about whether agents involved in Smith’s investigations would be shielded from political retaliation.
“Every FBI employee will be held to the absolute same standard, and no one will be terminated for cases,” Patel said. “All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution.”
The FBI Agents Association, however, criticized the reported firings, arguing they contradict Patel’s prior assurances that agents would not face retaliation for their case assignments.
“If true, these outrageous actions by acting officials are fundamentally at odds with the law enforcement objectives outlined by President Trump and his support for FBI Agents,” the association said in a statement, warning that dismissing hundreds of agents could weaken national security and law enforcement efforts.
When asked about the potential firings, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that such actions could be beneficial.
“If they fired some people over there, that’s a good thing because they were very bad,” Trump said. “They used the Justice Department to go after their political opponents, which in itself is illegal.”
Asked if he directly ordered the dismissals, Trump denied involvement, saying, “No, but we have some very bad people over there. It was weaponized at a level that nobody’s ever seen before.”