Overview

• A letter dated Oct. 1 informed a New Agent Trainee at Quantico that he was being summarily removed from federal service for “poor judgment” tied to “inappropriate political signage” during a prior Los Angeles assignment.
• The dismissal letter cited President Donald Trump’s Article II powers, a rationale used in other recent DOJ and FBI removals that are now being challenged in court.
• Multiple outlets report the signage was a Pride flag displayed last year, and two FBI veterans said such a display would not have violated past bureau policy.
• The letter arrived on the first day of the government shutdown, and the news prompted some FBI and DOJ staff to scrub workstations and social media of items that could be seen as politically sensitive.
• Records show the trainee received an Attorney General’s Award in 2022, and the action extends a pattern of Patel-era personnel moves, including recent firings of agents who kneeled during 2020 protests.