FBI Supervisor Who Led Mar-a-Lago Evidence Search Fired; Attorney Alleges Retaliation

An FBI supervisor based in the bureau’s Miami field office who led the evidence recovery team during the 2022 search for classified documents at President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence was fired Thursday for misconduct related to his personal messages on Skype, several law enforcement sources tell the New York Sun. The dismissal was finalized on the same week that FBI director Kash Patel remained embroiled in a bitter fight with the Atlantic magazine over its unflattering coverage of his tenure, sources tell the New York Sun. FBI supervisory special agent Rick Landry, who had been with the bureau for more than 18 years, was originally fired in January by the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility for alleged misconduct related to an audit of his personal messages on Skype, a messaging platform, but appealed the decision in an internal review, sources and his personal attorney tell the Sun. On Thursday, Mr. Landry was notified of the OPR’s decision to uphold his January firing.However, Mr. Landry’s personal attorney, John Kuchta, said the FBI did follow its internal disciplinary process in reviewing his client’s appeal over his January firing for what the FBI said was “misconduct.”“The actual motive was for Supervisor Landry’s participation in the Mar-A-Lago search and perceived political viewpoint discrimination,” Mr. Kuchta tells the Sun. In 2022, Mr. Landry was an FBI Evidence Response Team leader at the Miami field office when the Biden administration’s Justice Department executed a search warrant at Mr. Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida, as part of its investigation into the then-former President’s retention of classified documents.Mr. Kuchta tells the Sun that his client was not originally assigned to lead Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Mr. Trump and instead was called in at the last minute to lead the ERT team for the Mar-a-Lago team after another team leader contracted COVID-19. “He was called upon to lead the evidence recovery of his collateral duties on the Miami FBI Evidence Response Team,” Mr. Kuchta adds. Mr. Kuchta pointed to what he calls a “chronologically unmistakable sequence,” including 2022 statements made by podcaster Dan Bongino on Fox News that everyone involved in the Mar-a-Lago search should be fired from the bureau.Within forty-two days of Mr. Bongino being named FBI deputy director in March 2025, Mr. Landry was “demoted and placed on administrative leave,” Mr. Kuchta tells the Sun.It wasn’t immediately clear what exactly Mr. Landry said in his Skype messages.Mr. Kuchta alleges the FBI used “misconduct” related to his Skype messages as a pretextual reason to fire him for his role in Mar-a-Lago. “The First Amendment prohibits public employment from being conditioned on political conformity,” Mr. Kuchta adds. An FBI spokesman declined to answer questions from the Sun, adding the bureau does not comment on personnel decisions. Unlike other federal employees, most FBI agents cannot appeal their firing to the Merit Systems Protection Board unless they qualify for exceptions like being a preference-eligible veteran. Advocacy groups like the FBI Agents Association have called on Congress to extend MSPB rights to FBI personnel to ensure “fairness, accountability, and consistency.”Mr. Landry, an Air Force veteran, will appeal the FBI’s decision through the MSPB, alleging violations of the First and Fifth Amendments, among other claims.Mr. Landry’s dismissal occurred around the same time Mr. Patel was engaged in a bitter back-and-forth with the Atlantic magazine over its damning coverage of the 46-year-old’s alleged alcohol abuse, “erratic” leadership, and fondness for bottles of high-end whiskey bearing his personal branding. Mr. Patel has since filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine and Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick.Mr. Patel has been accused in the past of timing the firings of FBI agents for their roles in investigations involving Mr. Trump to distract from unflattering media coverage. Earlier this year, Mr. Patel fired several agents from a counterintelligence unit in the FBI’s Washington Field Office that focused on media leaks, global espionage, and threats involving several countries, including the Iranian regime, for their involvement in Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s investigation into Mr. Trump. Those firings took place just days before the U.S. military and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran.At the time, Mr. Patel had been under scrutiny after videos circulated on social media showing him guzzling beer alongside members of the USA Men’s Hockey team inside their locker room after they captured their first Olympic gold medal since 1980.Mr. Patel would later testify before the House Intelligence Committee that he fired those agents “for violating their ethical standards.”“They are internal investigations conducted by the careers at the FBI that highlight unethical or inappropriate conduct, and it’s up to me to make the decision,” Mr. Patel later testified. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson would later specify on X that only three of at least the dozen staffers fired at the time “actually worked the Iran issue,” adding that it was “total BS” to suggest their dismissals were “devastating to the Iran program.”Mr. Landry did not respond to questions from the Sun on LinkedIn.

FBI Supervisor Who Led Mar-a-Lago Evidence Search Fired; Attorney Alleges Retaliation

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