The FBI has fired at least six agents connected to a 2022 investigation into Donald Trump's withholding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, US media reported Wednesday.

Donald Trump faced federal charges for withholding classified documents after his first term, instead of handing them over to the National Archives as required by law. His Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was raided by the FBI in 2022.

Kash Patel, the FBI director for the past year and a supporter of Donald Trump, has ordered the dismissal of at least six agents for their work on this case, according to several American media outlets.

When contacted by AFP, the FBI declined to comment.

The FBI Agents Association confirmed that dismissals had occurred, without specifying how many. In a statement, it condemned the violation of "the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect" the United States.

"These measures weaken the Bureau by depriving it of essential expertise and destabilizing its staff, thereby undermining confidence in its leaders and compromising its ability to achieve its recruitment goals, thus exposing the nation to increased risk," added the association of current and former agents.

According to prosecutors, the files kept by Donald Trump, originating from the Pentagon and the CIA, included confidential documents on nuclear power and defense.

In July 2024, federal judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Donald Trump during his first term, dismissed the proceedings against him, arguing that the appointment of the former special counsel in this case, Jack Smith, was unconstitutional.

The Justice Department appealed Aileen Cannon's decision, but dropped the case after Mr. Trump's victory in the November 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump denied any wrongdoing.

The US president has often criticized FBI investigations, including those conducted on hundreds of his supporters who violently stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Last September, in a civil lawsuit, three abruptly fired FBI executives accused Kash Patel of having "politicized" the agency to please Donald Trump.

They said they had been sanctioned in particular for their opposition to the dismissal of agents whose only fault was being considered insufficiently aligned with the priorities of the new administration or having been publicly denounced by supporters of the Republican president.