Schiff says the next Congress will investigate the wrongful termination of agents
Adam SchiffU.S. senator from California, questioning Patel at the Senate Judiciary Committee's FBI oversight hearing
After Patel says he has answered whether any agents were fired for working on the Trump investigations, Schiff tells him the FBI is being sued for wrongful termination and says the next Congress will investigate the firings of potentially hundreds of agents for working on properly predicated investigations.
Responding to
Nine FBI special agents, staff operations specialists and intelligence analysts were fired in February 2026 because they worked on the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents, without cause, notice or a hearing, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments.
“while this Congress is not going to investigate the wrongful termination of potentially hundreds of agents for working on properly predicated investigations. The next Congress will.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Nine fired FBI employees sue Kash Patel, alleging they were dismissed for working on the Trump classified-documents investigation
Nine former FBI special agents, staff operations specialists and intelligence analysts sued FBI Director Kash Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department in federal court in Washington on October 15, 2026. They say they were fired on February 25 and 26, 2026, because they had been assigned to the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents, known inside the FBI as Plasmic Echo, and that they received no notice, hearing or chance to appeal. Patel's termination letters cited Article II of the Constitution and told each of them they had exercised poor judgment and a lack of impartiality, leading to the political weaponization of the government. At a Senate hearing in September 2026, Patel said agents were not fired for the simple fact of working on the Trump investigations. The suit seeks reinstatement, back pay and a declaration that the firings violated the First and Fifth Amendments.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
PBS NewsHour video of Sen. Adam Schiff questioning FBI Director Kash Patel about the agents who worked on the Mar-a-Lago and January 6 investigations, at the Senate Judiciary Committee's FBI oversight hearing on September 15, 2026.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Patel twice says he has answered when Schiff asks whether none of the agents who worked on the two Trump investigations were fired in whole or in part for that work. Schiff says he does not think Patel has answered and notes that the FBI is being sued for wrongful termination.
After the quotation
The remark ends Schiff's questioning in the video.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the FBI's February 2026 firing of employees who worked on the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents. Schiff calls the firings the wrongful termination of agents for working on properly predicated investigations, a direct criticism of the firings.
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More from this case
Read the full caseThe plaintiffs' attorneys say the nine were fired because they did their jobs
“In return for their service, they were fired because they did their jobs, as they always did to follow the facts and law without bias or favor. To this administration, this is an offense. To the rest of us, it is heroic”Read statement
Patel tells senators agents were fired only if they weaponized law enforcement
“for the simple fact of working on those investigations? No. If they weaponize law enforcement, yes.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Schiff says the next Congress will investigate the wrongful termination of agents". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6413-after-patel-says-he-has-answered-whether-any