The Federal Bureau of Investigation subpoenaed phone records belonging to Kash Patel and Susie Wiles during its investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents and alleged interference in the 2020 election. The records were obtained in 2022 and 2023, when both Patel and Wiles were private citizens and close allies of Trump. Patel disclosed the subpoenas and criticized the actions as government overreach carried out under the Biden administration.

According to Patel, investigators collected toll records detailing the timing and recipients of calls but not the content of conversations. He said the records were stored in restricted case files that made them difficult to locate after he became director in 2025. At least ten current bureau employees have reportedly been dismissed following the internal discovery of the subpoenas.

Democrats have defended former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigative methods, saying subpoenas for phone records are routine in major investigations. Smith previously stated that his office followed legal requirements while examining whether Trump unlawfully retained classified documents and obstructed efforts to retrieve them. The case against Trump was later dismissed by a federal judge after he won a second term, and an appeal was dropped.

It remains unclear whether Patel or Wiles were targets of the investigation or what specific purpose the records served. The Justice Department is currently barred by court order from releasing Smith’s final report on the documents inquiry.