It was reported on the 26th (local time) that at least 10 FBI employees involved in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case have been fired.

This news follows reports on Wednesday the 24th that the FBI had obtained the phone records of Kash Patel, the current FBI Director, from 2022 during the Biden administration, as well as the phone records of Susie Wiles, the current White House Chief of Staff, from 2023 when she was a private citizen.

The subpoenas for phone records were issued during an investigation by then-Special Counsel Jack Smith into allegations that President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

In an interview with Reuters, Patel criticized the FBI subpoenas as an example of unelected officials abusing the powers of the federal government.

Patel stated, "It is outrageous and deeply concerning that the former FBI leadership used flimsy pretexts to secretly subpoena the phone records of myself and the current White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, and concealed the entire process in prohibited case files to evade any oversight."

CBS News, citing anonymous sources, reported that the FBI Director did not provide any evidence of misconduct by the dismissed employees.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents current and former FBI agents, criticized the dismissals, claiming they infringe upon the employees' due process rights.

The association argued, "These actions weaken the bureau by stripping away core expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermine trust in leadership, and jeopardize the bureau’s ability to meet recruitment goals, ultimately putting the nation at greater risk."

US NNP = Lead Reporter Hong Sung-goo / NNP Correspondent info@newsandpost.com