The wrongful termination lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia names FBI Director Kash Patel as one of the defendants.
President Trump confirms Kash Patel will remain FBI Director
President Donald Trump has confirmed that Kash Patel will remain as FBI director amid reports of criticism over his potential successor and the use of resources.
More than a dozen FBI agents are suing leaders at the bureau and the Justice Department, alleging they were wrongfully fired for kneeling during 2020 racial justice protests in connection with the police killing of George Floyd.
The wrongful termination suit, filed Monday, Dec. 8, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the former agents, including three unnamed men and nine women, allege the firings were ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration.
It also alleges that FBI Director Kash Patel, who was named as a defendant in the case, pressured him to fire the defendants as soon as they were identified.
In addition to Patel and the department, the lawsuit also names Attorney General Pam Bondi as a defendant.
Floyd, a 46-year-old security guard from Minnesota, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking sometimes violent protests across the United States after a video surfaced of him pleading for air as a police officer kneeled on his neck. One of the four officers involved was charged and convicted of murder.
The lawsuit comes after a former top FBI official, former Acting Director Brian Driscoll, filed a lawsuit in September over their firings, alleging they were fired without cause in a “retaliatory campaign.”
The Dec. 8 complaint said investigators “made well-considered tactical decisions” on the day of the attack, including kneeling on the ground during protests, to quell tensions among rioters who confronted police and FBI agents.
According to Reuters, an FBI spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributed by: Reuters.
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
