A 16-year FBI worker has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired final month as a result of he had a Pleasure flag draped close to his desk.
David Maltinsky, who weeks away from being elevated to the place of agent, claims the firing was illegal and despatched a ripple of worry by the LGBT workers on the FBI.
“We’re not the enemy and we’re not some political mob. We’re proud members of the FBI, and we now have a mission to do. We go to work daily to do it,” Maltinsky instructed CBS Information.
In a civil criticism filed Wednesday within the U.S. District Court docket for the District of Columbia, Maltinsky seeks a courtroom order to revive his job.
The go well with makes a number of allegations, together with an argument that the FBI has violated Maltinsky’s First Modification rights and retaliated towards him for protected expression.
In line with the lawsuit, the First Modification “forbids authorities officers from firing authorities workers, or in any other case retaliating towards them, merely for partaking in expressive conduct regarding a matter of public concern.”
The lawsuit states that Maltinsky was fired in a letter signed by FBI Director Kash Patel in October. A duplicate of the letter was offered by Maltinsky to CBS Information. In it, Patel writes: “I’ve decided that you simply exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate show of political signage in your work space throughout your earlier task on the Los Angeles Discipline Workplace. Pursuant to Article II of america Structure and the legal guidelines of america, your employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is hereby terminated.”
On the time of Maltinsky’s firing, the FBI didn’t remark, in line with CNN, which first reported the incident.
Maltinsky, who started working on the FBI in 2008, was within the midst of a coaching program for future brokers on the FBI’s facility in Quantico, Virginia, when he was fired, in line with the lawsuit.
The rainbow flag that Maltinsky displayed at his workspace within the FBI’s Los Angeles Discipline Workplace was offered to him after it had beforehand been displayed outdoors the Bureau’s federal workplace advanced there, in line with the lawsuit.
Maltinsky mentioned the federal authorities authorized the show of Pleasure flags at federal workplace complexes in June 2021. His lawsuit alleges {that a} colleague filed a criticism with a supervisor about Maltinsky’s flag on Jan. 20, 2025, the day of President Trump’s second Inaugural.
In an hourlong interview with CBS Information, Maltinsky mentioned his firing has had a chilling affect contained in the Bureau.
“The ripple impact of worry has been felt. Many homosexual colleagues have eliminated Pleasure flags from their desks, allies have eliminated Pleasure flags from their desk,” he mentioned.
Underneath questioning at a congressional listening to in September, Patel instructed Senators he was not taking motion towards any “enemies listing,” together with amongst FBI workers.
“The one actions we take, usually talking, for personnel on the FBI, are ones based mostly on advantage and qualification and your capability to uphold your constitutional responsibility,” Patel mentioned.
“You fall brief, you do not work there anymore.”
Maltinsky’s firing is a component of a big and rising wave of terminations, resignations and retirements contained in the Justice Division since Jan. 20. Justice Connection, a company that helps the ex-employees, instructed CBS Information greater than 5,000 workers have left or been fired from the company this yr.
The purge consists of brokers and prosecutors who dealt with the U.S. Capitol riot prosecutions and the particular counsel felony probes of President Trump, which had been dropped after Mr. Trump received the election in November 2024.
“It is very unhappy that it is occurring,” Maltinsky instructed CBS Information. “However a part of this submitting is that: I am not intimidated. We’re not intimidated.”
“Range means a lot to so many alternative individuals,” he added. “There isn’t a one definition that everybody will agree on. What I imagine is range brings power.”
