Three former FBI agents have sued FBI Director Kash Patel and US Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging the officials fired them to appease President Donald Trump.
Patel allegedly told his employees that he "had to fire" those individuals because "his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of the agents who worked on cases involving the President", according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by former FBI acting Director Brian Driscoll, Steven Jensen, former assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, and Spencer Evans, former special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office.
The FBI declined to comment. The Justice Department has not yet commented.
The lawsuit alleges that Patel, told subordinates that he and Mr Driscoll cold not stop these firings or other firings because "the FBI tried to put he President in jail and he hasn't forgotten".
Ms Driscoll was fired from the FBI last month. He was one of the FBI agents who previously pushed back against directive to turn over a list of agents who had worked on 6 January cases.
Patel previously said in media interviews that he was told agents who were part of the "weaponisation" of the FBI would be fired.
"Every single person that has been found to have weaponised or participated in that process has been removed from leadership positions," Patel said. "And if and when we find any others that are involved in this – as you know, this is a 37,000-person agency – we are going to take swift action, just like we have."
The lawsuit said the firing of the three men violated their First Amendment right to free speech and free association and their Fifth Amendment right to due process.
"The public's confidence in the FBI hinges on the commitment of every FBI employee, from the newest Special Agent to the Director, to relentlessly adhere to the rule of law without fear or favour," Mr Evans said in a statement. "Americans should demand FBI leaders who make decisions based solely on the facts of an investigation and never on the desired outcome of one."
The suit, filed in federal court in Washington DC on Wednesday, asked for the three men to be reinstated to their jobs with back pay.
In addition to Patel and Bondi, the suit also lists the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Executive Office of the President as defendants.
The agents are being represented by Abbe Lowell, a high-profile lawyer who is also representing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, who is suing the Trump administration for its attempted removal of her from her job.
SOURCE/AUTHOR : Ana Faguy Washington DC - BBC NEWS
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