Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge

President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel

(Image credit: Yasin Ozturk / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

Three senior FBI officials fired by FBI Director Kash Patel alleged in a lawsuit Wednesday that they were the targets of an unlawful “campaign of retribution” orchestrated by the White House and Justice Department. Patel acknowledged that the firings last month were “likely illegal,” but said he had no choice “because ‘the FBI tried to put the president in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it,’” according to the lawsuit filed by Steve Jensen, Spencer Evans and Brian Driscoll, the latter a veteran agent who served as acting director before Patel was confirmed.

Who said what

The lawsuit is an “eye-popping indictment of the bureau by people who occupied some of its most senior and sensitive positions for years,” Politico said. The 68-page complaint claims “Trump loyalists executed brazen political vendettas, lacked basic understanding of FBI management” and “were beholden to the whims of White House aides such as Stephen Miller” and “wildly buffeted by the vagaries of opinions floated by Trump allies on social media.”

Patel “not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people,” the lawsuit said. “His decision to do so degraded the country’s national security by firing three of the FBI’s most experienced operational leaders” in “preventing terrorism and reducing violent crime.”

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What next?

Driscoll, Jensen and Evans are seeking reinstatement in the FBI and, “among other remedies, the awarding of back pay, an order declaring the firings illegal and even a forum for them to clear their names,” The Associated Press said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.