FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday fired an FBI agent in training for reportedly displaying a gay pride flag on his desk during a previous assignment at a California field office.
The latest termination comes as a part of the larger case of high-profile firings by Patel in September. FBI’s most recent round of layoffs included more than a dozen employees who were dismissed for taking a knee during crowd control in Washington DC during the infamous ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests back in 2020.
As per an official letter accessed by agencies, the trainee had previously served as an FBI support specialist in Los Angeles. The letter, which was signed by Patel, accused the former employee of displaying an improper “political” message at the workplace while working under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Larger layoffs
The letter which cited President Trump’s Article II powers under the Constitution as the basis for dismissal stated that the trainee had been dismissed from his position because of his poor choice to engage political signage at the work place during his last assignment.
This particular article has been increasingly used in recent firings across the Department of Justice and the FBI in America, many of which are now facing legal challenges.
What did the letter say?
“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 in the letter accessed by MSNBC without referencing the pride flag.
The letter which was issued on the first day of a nationwide government shutdown, has since then created widespread uncertainty across the federal workforce with people running for their jobs. Adding to the worries of the federal employees, The white house recently announced that administration officials are preparing for potential layoffs and “it’s likely going to be in the thousands.”
The trainee, who had most recently been assigned to the FBI Academy in Quantico, had previously won an Attorney General’s Award in 2022 in recognition of outstanding work, according to the Justice Department.