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A former COVID-era FBI agent and whistleblower who was recently reinstated under President Donald Trump was fired Friday, according to a report.
The FBI fired Steve Friend for “unprofessional conduct and poor judgment,” according to a copy of the termination letter published on X by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. An FBI source confirmed the firing, but declined to provide further details, emphasizing that it was a personnel matter.
The FBI said in the letter that Friend “participated in unauthorized interactions with the media, publicly broadcast media sources, and publicly commented on FBI matters and ongoing FBI investigations.”
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Whistleblowers and former FBI special agents Garret O’Boyle and Steve Friend testified before Congress on Thursday, May 18. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Friend was first suspended by the FBI in August 2022 and resigned in February 2023. He was reinstated last September.
In the letter, the FBI said that in November, Friend “distributed media sources and photographs identifying an alleged subject and discussed the alleged subject on your podcast, despite the lack of credible and verifiable evidence necessary to publicly identify the subject.”
When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Friend said his ouster was retaliatory action by FBI Director Kash Patel and was related to criticism over the bureau’s recent arrest in the Jan. 6, 2021, pipe bomb case.
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Steve Friend, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and COVID-era whistleblower who was recently reinstated, was fired Friday, according to a report. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)
Friend’s dismissal from the Bureau came after his lawyers at Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research dropped him as a client on December 5.
The nonprofit said in a letter to Friend that it ignored its advice by publicly commenting on FBI matters, “risking further negative administrative action” from the Bureau.
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The FBI fired whistleblower Steve Friend on Dec. 12, according to a report. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)
“In light of your apparent reluctance to follow the free professional advice we gave you, we are even more convinced that our previously expressed failure to represent you regarding any legal matter other than your reinstatement was justified,” the nonprofit wrote. “We are no longer willing or able to devote additional time and resources to representing your interests or advising you in the future.”
