The FBI employee was fired on the first day of the government shutdown as Trump threatened more terminations.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday fired an agent in training for displaying a gay pride flag on his desk while appointed to a field office in California last year, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The trainee, who previously worked as an FBI support specialist in Los Angeles, received a letter — dated Oct. 1 and signed by Patel — claiming he had displayed an improper “political” message in the workplace during his assignment in California under President Joe Biden, according to a copy of the letter shared with MSNBC.
The letter cited President Donald Trump’s Article II powers under the Constitution to dismiss federal agency career personnel, a justification used in several recent firings at the Department of Justice and FBI. The terminations are currently being challenged in several lawsuits.
Don’t know that laws matter anymore but firing someone based on sexual orientation is illegal.
You don’t need to be gay to fly a rainbow flag
Laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation also cover perceived orientation.
Sure, but the justification used for firing was the display of the flag (speech), not perceived orientation. That may have been their real reason, but even their cover story was illegal
It was also during Biden’s presidency, when there weren’t any prohibitions on that. So there could be an argument that the stated reason was not the real reason. Not sure how well it would hold, but it is a thing
This is more of a first amendment violation
Why not both.
Since when has that stopped to the Trump administration from doing anything?
True. Okay SCROTUS, time to lick boots again.
Another lawsuit would be appropriate.