A new FBI trainee’s career was cut short after he placed a small pride flag on his desk during a field assignment in California. Director Kash Patel terminated the agent in training on October 1, citing “inappropriate display of political signage.”
“You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service,” the letter read.
Patel invoked Trump’s Article II powers under the Constitution, a legal argument immediately at the center of multiple lawsuits involving other recent firings of career officials.
The former trainee previously served as a support specialist in Los Angeles and had even earned an Attorney General’s Award in 2022. However, his display of the pride flag was enough to trigger disciplinary action, especially under the Biden-era assignment he completed in California.
Inside the FBI’s Washington field office, news of the firing sparked quiet panic. Agents reviewed their desks and social media for anything that could be viewed as politically offensive to Trump or his allies.
The firing comes as LGBTQ visibility within federal agencies has faced increased pressure. Earlier this year, DOJ Pride, the Justice Department’s LGBTQ employee group, shut down entirely just days after Trump signed an executive order to eliminate diversity and inclusion measures.
The FBI declined to comment. The dismissed trainee has not spoken publicly and remains unidentified.
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