Fired FBI officials sue over alleged 'campaign of retribution'

WASHINGTON

A group of fired senior FBI officials filed suit against the bureau Wednesday, alleging they were the subject of rampant politicization at the bureau at the behest of US President Donald Trump.

The suit brought by ex-Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, senior Washington, DC field officer Steven Jensen, and head of the Las Vegas field office Spencer Evans alleges that Trump's White House is engaged in what they called a "campaign of retribution" in which they were punished for failing "to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty."

The suit alleges that FBI Director Kash Patel knowingly violated the law when he fired the senior officials at the direction of Trump's White House, but he carried out the dismissals anyway in order to retain his job.

The suit alleges that the three plaintiffs "were the targets of Defendants’ retribution for their refusals to politicize the FBI, and they seek to vindicate their constitutional and legal rights."

The suit cites a number of conversations held between the senior officials, and Patel and other Trump administration officials, as evidence that it says is proof that the White House is targeting the bureau’s employees for political retribution.

"Patel explained that he had to fire the people his superiors told him to fire, because his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of the agents who worked on cases involving the President. Patel explained that there was nothing he or Driscoll could do to stop these or any other firings, because 'the FBI tried to put the President in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it,'" the 68-page suit says, as it recounted one alleged conversation between Driscoll and Patel.

"When Driscoll explained that firing employees based on case assignments would be in direct violation of internal FBI processes meant to adjudicate adverse actions and prevent retaliation based on case assignments, Patel said that he understood that and he knew the nature of the summary firings were likely illegal and that he could be sued and later deposed," it added.

In a separate interview with White House representative Paul Ingrassia, the suit alleges that Driscoll was asked: "Who did you vote for?" to which he did not answer; "Do you agree that the FBI agents who ‘stormed’ Mar-a-Lago, to include the rank-and-file, should be held accountable?" to which he said no; "When did you start supporting President Trump?" and "Have you voted for a Democrat in the last five elections?"

Driscoll refused to answer the final two questions, and the conversation ended, according to the suit.

In addition to Patel, the suit names the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Justice Department and the Executive Office of the President as defendants.