Multiple senior FBI officials were fired this week in the latest leadership shakeup under FBI Director Kash Patel, continuing a sweeping overhaul of the bureau that began after his confirmation in 2025.
According to multiple reports, the dismissals targeted high-ranking agents connected to politically sensitive investigations, including Jan. 6 cases and probes involving President Donald Trump.
The firings represent one of the most significant personnel purges inside the FBI in years.
Among those removed was the special agent in charge of the Atlanta field office, which had been involved in election-related investigations in Georgia.
While officials have not detailed that agent’s specific role in Trump-related probes, the Atlanta office played a part in broader federal scrutiny surrounding the 2020 election.
The acting assistant director overseeing the FBI’s New York field office was also fired. The New York office has historically handled major financial and political cases and was involved in aspects of investigations tied to Trump and his business dealings.
A former special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, who had since transitioned into another senior role within the bureau, was likewise dismissed. Public reporting has not clarified whether that agent directly worked on Trump investigations, though their prior responsibilities intersected with national security operations.
In Miami, the shakeup was more direct. Up to six FBI agents were terminated for their involvement in the 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The Miami field office led that operation, and the firings mark the clearest action yet taken against agents tied to that highly controversial search.
The latest moves follow a pattern of aggressive staffing changes over the past year. In November 2025, several agents assigned to Trump-related cases were fired, briefly reinstated, and then fired again. One of those agents oversaw the bureau’s aircraft fleet, a role not tied to investigations but caught up in broader internal reviews.
In October 2025, agents connected to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump were dismissed after revelations that the team had obtained congressional phone records.
That decision drew sharp criticism at the time and intensified scrutiny of the bureau’s investigative practices.
Earlier in September 2025, roughly a dozen FBI agents were fired for kneeling during 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd, actions they said were meant to de-escalate tensions.
Those agents later filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and political discrimination, per Trending Politics.
The shakeup also included high-profile departures in August 2025.
Former acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll exited the bureau after resisting internal directives, while Steven Jensen, the assistant director of the Washington field office who oversaw domestic terrorism matters after Jan. 6, was fired the same day.
Other agents connected to Trump-related cases, including those involving adviser Peter Navarro, were also forced out around that time.
Altogether, estimates suggest at least a dozen firings in the most recent wave, adding to dozens more since Patel took over. The FBI has declined to release an official list of names, citing personnel privacy, but the scale of the changes is clear.
Supporters of Patel say the firings are long overdue for accountability for what they describe as politicized law enforcement. Critics argue the moves amount to retaliation and risk undermining the bureau’s independence.
