Three former FBI officials sued the agency’s Director Kash Patel on Wednesday, claiming they were fired in a politically motivated purge. The lawsuit alleged that the Donald Trump administration pushed Patel to remove agents who had investigated the US President.
Patel allegedly admitted to one of the plaintiffs, Brian Driscoll, that the firings were “likely illegal” but said he couldn’t stop them. He reportedly told Driscoll, “The FBI tried to put the president in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it," the Associated Press reported.
Driscoll, Steve Jensen and Spencer Evans were among five agents fired last month. All had decades of experience and held senior positions. They claim their dismissals were driven by politics and the White House for directly meddling in the bureau’s personnel moves.
The lawsuit also alleged that the US national security has been harmed by removing experts in terrorism and violent crime.
“Patel not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people,” the suit alleged. It added that “his decision to do so degraded the country’s national security by firing three of the FBI’s most experienced operational leaders," the AP report added.
The lawsuit names Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI, the Justice Department and the Executive Office of the President as defendants. The plaintiffs seek reinstatement, back pay and a legal declaration that their firings were unlawful. They also want a chance to publicly defend their reputations.
“This false and defamatory public smear impugned the professional reputation of each of the Plaintiffs, suggesting they were something other than faithful and apolitical law enforcement officials, and has caused not only the loss of the Plaintiffs’ present government employment but further harmed their future employment prospects,” the suit mentioned, as per the news agency.
Notably, Driscoll is the most prominent plaintiff in this lawsuit. A former commander of the FBI’s elite hostage rescue team, he briefly served as acting FBI director before Kash Patel took over. During his short tenure, Driscoll had a high-profile conflict with senior Justice Department official Emil Bove. Bove had demanded a list of FBI agents who worked on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot investigation, but Driscoll had refused. Subsequently, he was accused of “insubordination” by Bove.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR