this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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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.

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[–] Kalon@lemmy.world 105 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Don't know that laws matter anymore but firing someone based on sexual orientation is illegal.

[–] blave@lemmy.world 49 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Since when has that stopped to the Trump administration from doing anything?

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago

True. Okay SCROTUS, time to lick boots again.

[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 35 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is more of a first amendment violation

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 weeks ago

Why not both.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You don't need to be gay to fly a rainbow flag

[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation also cover perceived orientation.

[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] spongebue@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

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

[–] RePsyche@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago

Another lawsuit would be appropriate.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 47 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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.

Governing by presidential decree is as close as you can get to absolute monarchy - or, let's called it as it is, fascist tyranny - in this country. And they already started dismantling the last remaining obstacles. As he himself said "if you vote for me you'll never have to vote again".

The terminations are currently being challenged in several lawsuits.

Good.

This shit is horrible, but it gets worse. People are dying from this regime.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 40 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They were going to do it anyway, this is not the fault of the shit down

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 38 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

No shit, they got a letter in the mail dated 10/1.

It was ready and waiting.

Likely because he got an award in 2022 for something trump didn't like.

[–] lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago

Snowflakes and piss babies all of them

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 31 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So when does Kash's skin tone become an inappropriate political display?

[–] aceshigh@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

You won’t need to wait too long. After t dies there will be a power grab, that’s when everyone who isn’t a “straight” white Christian will be removed from all government positions.

[–] Captainvaqina@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

"christian" every single one of these domestic terrorists espouses the COMPLETE opposite of Jesus's teachings.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

they know and dont care.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 2 points 3 weeks ago

As has been established, it truly IS the hardest part.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waiting_(song)

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Imagine being fired by a deer forever caught in headlights.

collapsed inline media

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 15 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

His physical appearance is not his fault or the thing that I disagree with. Its the evil decisions that irk me.

Like we had a department of defense that protected us from outside threats. But we renamed it department of war and pointed it at ourselves. WTF! How does that make any sense at all?

[–] SoloCritical@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They didn’t even rename it, it’s still the Department of Defesne.. they couldn’t get the votes to actually change it. Department of War is a “cool nickname” Hegseth gave the department, it’s officially a “secondary name”. Sort of like their preferred pronoun. Don’t deadname them, I’m sure they’d hate to keep getting called Department of Defense.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 2 points 3 weeks ago

LOL. That's wild!

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

Honestly, I don't disagree with that renaming. The Department of War is what it used to be called, and Department of Defence was just whitewashing. It's always been about war, not defence. The US hasn't fought a defensive war since the War of 1812 —or debatably The Civil War, but that was a civil war, not a defensive war. This is before the name was changed even, so it made even less sense when it was renamed.

[–] ILoveUnions@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Like we had a department of defense that protected us from outside threats

It's always been a department of war.

[–] gnate@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago

Kash Patel felt threatened because the FBI trainee was more qualified to run things.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 13 points 3 weeks ago

Wrongful termination, much, Mr. Patel?

[–] chilldrivenspade@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

it’s political to acknowledge that ppl different than you exist to republicans

[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago

Fascists are the weakest form of snowflake.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Soooo much winning everywhere!

[–] Corelli_III@midwest.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

if you are queer in the states and you think it is a good idea to work for the slave catchers, uh, it isn't

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago

Hey! Hey guys, hear me out. We should have a Catholic priest run something. Like maybe National air traffic control.

Every day a pilot, after the routine checks must then have do the cross signing thing before they start up the engine. Three hail Mary's before the plane moves.

Stuff like that just makes my day happier. Having to watch an adult do dumb things because it pleases an invisible flying man who we cannot communicate with, it just makes my day.

Let's have more goat sacrifices and describe the stars as souls so the space station stays up there.