FBI fires additional agents who participated in investigating Trump, AP sources say
By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON AP The FBI has continued its personnel purge forcing out additional agents and supervisors tied to the federal assessment into efforts to overturn the voting process The latest firings took place despite efforts by Washington s top federal prosecutor to try to stop at least a few of the terminations people familiar with the matter narrated The Associated Press The employees were advised this week that they were being fired but those plans were paused after D C U S Attorney Jeanine Pirro raised concerns according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters The agents were then fired again Tuesday though it s not clear what prompted the about-face The total number of fired agents was not right away clear The terminations are part of a broader personnel upheaval under the leadership of FBI Director Kash Patel who has pushed out numerous senior administrators and agents involved in investigations or actions that have angered the Trump administration Three ousted high-ranking FBI representatives sued Patel in September accusing him of caving to political pressure to carry out a campaign of retribution Spokespeople for Patel and Pirro didn t this instant respond to messages seeking comment on Tuesday The FBI Agents Association which has criticized Patel for the firings explained the director has disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution The actions the last evening in which FBI Special Agents were terminated and then reinstated shortly after and then only to be fired again at present highlight the chaos that occurs when long-standing policies and processes are ignored the association stated An Agent totally being assigned to an inspection and conducting it appropriately within the law should never be grounds for termination Related Articles Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns of mass chaos in skies if shutdown continues Chrysler recalls Jeep plug-in hybrids due to faulty battery that can catch fire In the present day in History November Obama wins presidency in historic poll Denny s to be acquired and taken private in a deal valued at million Gaming industry could face repercussions from NBA-Mafia gambling episode The referendum assessment that ultimately led to special counsel Jack Smith s indictment of Trump has come under intense scrutiny from GOP lawmakers who have accused the Biden administration Justice Department of being weaponized against conservatives Sen Chuck Grassley the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has circulated documents from the assessment provided by the FBI including ones showing that investigators analyzed phone records from more than a half dozen Republican lawmakers as part of their inquiry The Justice Department has fired prosecutors and other department employees who worked on Smith s club and the FBI has similarly forced out agents and senior executives for a variety of reasons as part of an ongoing purge that has added to the tumult inside the bureau The FBI in August ousted the head of the bureau s Washington field office as well as the former acting director who resisted Trump administration demands to turn over the names of agents who participated in Jan Capitol riot investigations And in September it fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers
