Media: FBI seized phone records of top Trump allies during Biden era

The FBI subpoenaed phone records of Kash Patel, now FBI director, and Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff, when they were private citizens in 2022 and 2023, Reuters has reported.

The records were collected around the time of the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Patel criticised the seizure as government overreach, saying: “It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records – along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles – using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight.”

Patel said the records, which detailed the timing and recipients of calls but not their content, were filed as “Prohibited,” making them difficult to locate. He added that at least ten FBI employees have been dismissed in connection with the revelations.

The Justice Department and Smith declined to comment on Patel’s claims. Wiles and the White House also did not immediately respond.

The subpoenas occurred during Smith’s investigation into whether Trump interfered with the 2020 election and retained classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. While Smith charged Trump with felonies in 2023, the case was later dismissed, and Trump denied any wrongdoing.

By Aghakazim Guliyev