Two veteran FBI special agents filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday, claiming they were illegally fired by Director Kashyap “Kash” Patel and Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi as part of a political “purge” targeting those who investigated President Donald J. Trump.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the agents—identified only as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2—were terminated without notice, hearings, or evidence of misconduct. Both men were previously assigned to “Arctic Frost,” the federal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election that led to Trump’s 2023 indictment.
According to the filing, the agents’ careers were upended despite decades of service and “exemplary” performance ratings:
- John Doe 1, a 21-year veteran specializing in white-collar crime, was three years away from retirement when he was ordered to report to the Washington Field Office on Halloween night. He was fired while his children waited at home in their costumes.
- John Doe 2, an eight-year agent on a public corruption squad, was fired on Election Day 2025. The lawsuit notes that just weeks prior, he had personally briefed Director Patel on a sensitive fraud case, after which Patel reportedly told him, “good work, keep going.”
The lawsuit points to a series of public statements by Patel, Bondi, and Senator Chuck Grassley as evidence of a coordinated effort to remove “deep state” actors. In a January 2026 post on Truth Social, Patel referred to terminated agents as “corrupt actors” and touted the end of “weaponized law enforcement.”
“Under your leadership, this FBI found the corrupt actors and terminated their employment last year,” Patel wrote in response to a post from President Trump calling the agents “scum.”
The legal team for the agents argues these firings violate the First Amendment right against political retaliation and the Fifth Amendment right to due process. They point out that while the termination letters cited “poor judgment,” the official personnel forms (SF-50s) list the reason for removal simply as “Article 2 USC,” a reference to presidential authority rather than specific misconduct.
“Your case assignment… does not dictate your career or your termination,” Patel had testified under oath during his confirmation hearing. The plaintiffs allege this was a falsehood, claiming they were targeted solely for their work on Arctic Frost.
The agents report they have been unable to find new work in law enforcement or the private sector due to the “stigma” of being labeled “weaponized” agents. One plaintiff alleged a private-sector job offer was rescinded after the company’s CEO expressed concern over the “optics” of hiring someone targeted by the administration.
The plaintiffs are seeking immediate reinstatement to the FBI and a formal “name-clearing hearing” to restore their professional reputations. Neither the FBI nor the Department of Justice has released a formal statement regarding the pending litigation.
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