FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday fired an agent trainee for displaying a gay pride flag on his desk while assigned to a California field office last year, according to three people familiar with the matter, as reported by MSNBC news website.
The trainee, a former FBI support specialist in Los Angeles, received a termination letter dated October 1 and signed by Patel. The letter claimed the trainee had displayed an improper “political” message in the workplace during his California assignment under President Joe Biden, according to a copy shared with MSNBC.
Citing President Donald Trump’s Article II powers under the Constitution, the letter justified the dismissal. The same justification has appeared in several recent firings at the Department of Justice and FBI, which are currently facing legal challenges.
“After reviewing the facts and circumstances and considering your probationary status, I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment in the Los Angeles Field Office,” Patel wrote.
“You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service,” the letter continued.
The dismissal letter, sent on the first day of a nationwide government shutdown, did not specifically reference the gay pride flag.
The trainee had most recently been assigned to the FBI Academy in Quantico and won an Attorney General’s Award in 2022 for his work, according to a Justice Department release.
News of the firing spurred concern within the FBI’s Washington field office. Some agents began reviewing their workstations and social media accounts to check for anything that could be deemed offensive to Trump, his appointees, or MAGA supporters, one person familiar with the reaction said.
The move follows broader actions by the Trump administration against diversity and inclusion initiatives in federal agencies. DOJ Pride, an LGBTQ employee group at the Justice Department, shut down in late January after Trump signed an executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion measures.
“In this time of uncertainty and concern, we have taken the extraordinary measure of ceasing operations of DOJ Pride,” the group’s board wrote in an email to members. “We have made this decision in the interest and for the protection of all members.”
The FBI trainee’s firing came as several federal agency websites blamed the “radical left” for causing the ongoing government shutdown.
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With inputs from MSNBC news website
