FBI Employees Fired Over Trump Documents Probe Sue
Nine former FBI agents, analysts and staff specialists sued Thursday to get their jobs back. They worked on the investigation into Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
- 70 pages: the suit names the FBI, Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche and DOJ.
- 8 of the 9 plaintiffs were fired Feb. 25; one was fired a day later.
- The suit seeks reinstatement, back pay and a ruling that the firings were unlawful.
- Plaintiffs say they were assigned to the case, not volunteers.
Why it matters: FBI Director Kash Patel told Congress the fired employees had "weaponized" the FBI. The plaintiffs say they served apolitically and were fired without notice, hearings or appeals.
- The suit says Patel relied on Article II presidential power to justify the firings.
- The suit says unfinished counterintelligence cases were not properly handed off.
How 20 sources split on this story
Where they split: Patel says the employees politicized the FBI and were fired for cause; the plaintiffs say they were fired for doing assigned work, to serve Trump's personal grievances.
Center coverage, 7 sources: The center presents the suit as one more legal challenge to firings of FBI employees tied to Trump investigations.
Left coverage, 9 sources: The left focuses on new details in the suit, including the timing of the firings near Patel's Olympics controversy and his adviser's access to the case file.
Right coverage, 4 sources: The right leads with Patel's view that the fired employees weaponized the FBI and gives the suit briefer treatment.
What’s next: The case moves forward in federal court in Washington. The FBI and Justice Department had not responded to requests for comment.
- Two agents tied to the separate 2020 election probe filed a similar suit earlier this year.
- Did any internal investigation precede the firings, as Patel told Congress?
- Why did Patel's adviser Miles Starr seek the case file two days before the firings?
- Will courts accept Article II as grounds for firing FBI employees without process?
