A handful of senior FBI officials have been ordered to either leave the bureau or be fired by Monday, according to multiple news organizations—another step in what is shaping up to be a full-scale purge of the federal government under Trump’s second term.
The latest shake-up comes as Kash Patel, a QAnon conspiracy theorist and vocal Jan. 6 defender, faced off with lawmakers this week over his possible leadership at the FBI. Patel denied the existence of an “enemies list” targeting so-called “deep state” officials—despite having written a book about it in 2023.
Kash Patel
Trump’s campaign of mass firings continued Tuesday when his administration offered a buyout to federal workers, providing financial incentives for them to leave, creating what employees described as “fear” and “chaos.”
His disdain for the FBI is well-documented. As president, Trump repeatedly attacked former FBI Director Robert Mueller during the investigation into the Trump Organization’s ties to Russia. This inquiry ultimately led to 37 indictments and seven guilty pleas and convictions.
In December, the Justice Department’s inspector general released a bombshell report revealing that Trump’s first administration had secretly spied on dozens of members of Congress and their aides.
Trump also attacked special counsel Jack Smith during his investigation of Trump’s involvement in election interference during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Smith resigned 10 days before the inauguration after releasing his investigative report on Trump.
Jack Smith
Meanwhile, Trump has tapped billionaire sycophant Elon Musk to chair the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. This move has already led to the departure of David A. Lebryk, the highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department. Lebryk resigned following clashes with Musk’s handpicked operatives.
Trump’s purge of government watchdogs has been even more ruthless. In an overnight slash, he fired a dozen inspectors general—officials responsible for investigating government misconduct. When asked by reporters on Air Force One about the unprecedented firings, Trump shrugged it off as “standard” and a “very common thing to do.”
His administration has also dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs with an executive order across the federal government. Now, he’s using the Wednesday night plane collision at National Airport to justify further action. At a press conference on Thursday, Trump suggested that DEI was to blame for the FAA’s handling of the deadly collision and promised to investigate the agency’s hiring practices.
On Monday, he fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and first Black NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox, effectively shutting down the organization. Remember when he spent all of 2024 falsely campaigning as a pro-labor rights candidate, amassing support among blue-collar workers without college degrees—all the while cozying up to billionaires?
“These moves will make it easier for bosses to violate the law and trample on workers’ legal rights on the job and fundamental freedom to organize,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement.
From the FAA to the FBI to the Treasury, from government oversight offices to civil rights initiatives, Trump’s second term is being used to consolidate power, eliminate dissent, and reshape the federal government in his tyrannical image.
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