Fired FBI agents sue Kash Patel to get jobs back

Nine former FBI agents and intelligence personnel sued the Trump administration on Thursday, alleging they were unlawfully fired for working on the investigation into President Trump's handling of classified documents. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, names FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, and their respective agencies as defendants. The plaintiffs claim they were terminated without due process and assert the firings were driven by the president's personal vendetta. The lawsuit, spanning 70 pages, states that the plaintiffs were unlawfully terminated not for any cause or legitimate reason, but only to satisfy the President's personal vendetta. It further claims the firings did not follow any internal investigation or disciplinary process within the FBI, and the plaintiffs were not given any notice, a hearing, or an opportunity to appeal. Instead, Patel relied solely on "Article II" of the Constitution to justify the firings, according to the suit. The nine plaintiffs include former FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, and staff operations specialists. They were fired over the course of two days in February 2026, just as the United States and Israel were set to begin military strikes against Iran. The lawsuit highlights that none of the plaintiffs had any history of misconduct or poor behavior while employed with the FBI, nor were they given the opportunity to explain or appeal their terminations. The suit also notes that in many instances, the plaintiffs' immediate supervisors expressed disbelief and regret that their FBI careers had been ended. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were involved in investigating Iranian intelligence threats when they lost their jobs. One plaintiff, Jeremy Linton, was managing several dozen Iranian counterintelligence cases and was fired three days before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran, without an opportunity to transfer his work or convey intelligence he had received to colleagues. The suit alleges this process endangered American national security. The lawsuit references public comments made by top Justice Department officials and the president directed toward the plaintiffs as evidence the firings were motivated by political animus. For instance, Blanche, who was deputy attorney general when the employees were let go, stated that the administration had "cleaned house" at the FBI by firing employees associated with investigations involving the president. The lawsuit includes new details about the circumstances surrounding the firings. In the case of counterintelligence section chief Jennifer Bacon, she learned she was being let go shortly after an agent named Miles Starr had requested access to the classified investigative files about Plasmic Echo, the codename given to the documents investigation. Starr was a member of Kash Patel's Director's Advisory Team and the lead case agent who testified in the since-dismissed indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey with lying to Congress. The plaintiffs argue that their service to the country included investigating leaks of national security and defense information, thwarting threats and attacks from enemies, and responding to critical incidents such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the interdiction of Iranian weaponry intended for the Houthis, and the assassination attempt against then-candidate Donald Trump. They claim they were fired because they did their jobs, following the facts and law without bias or favor. Multiple plaintiffs said they were involved in investigating Iranian intelligence threats when they lost their jobs. The suit alleges that the process of terminating them bypassed FBI policy requiring an administrative inquiry before disciplinary action. The complaint also notes that the firings occurred without any internal investigation or disciplinary process within the FBI. Other fired FBI agents have also sued the administration, alleging they were punished for investigating alleged wrongdoing by the president. In February 2025, a group sued to prohibit the administration from obtaining a list of agents who investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Agents who investigated Trump's conduct during the 2020 election sued over their firings in March. Three former FBI officials filed a separate lawsuit in September 2025. The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. The lawsuit also mentions that the firings took place amid significant scrutiny of Patel, who was seen partying in Italy with the U.S. men’s hockey team following their Winter Olympics win. The suit argues that invoking "Article II" to justify the firings is an attempt to convert all federal employees into political appointees and condition their continued employment on perceived personal and political loyalty to President Trump.