Overview

• A Patel-signed notice dated Oct. 1 ordered the trainee’s summary removal from the New Agent Trainee program at the FBI Academy in Quantico.
• The letter said the trainee exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage during a prior Los Angeles Field Office assignment, identified by sources and a reviewed notice as a Pride flag.
• Patel’s dismissal letter invoked Trump’s Article II powers, a justification also used in recent DOJ and FBI terminations that are being challenged in court.
• The trainee previously worked as an FBI support specialist in Los Angeles, received a 2022 Attorney General’s Award, and served in a diversity program role.
• The move follows recent removals, including more than a dozen employees tied to a 2020 kneeling incident, and prompted agents to review workspaces and social media; the FBI gave no immediate comment and the trainee could not be reached.