The plaintiffs' attorneys say the nine were fired because they did their jobs
Margaret DonovanAttorney for the plaintiffs, in a statement issued with co-counsel Abbe Lowell and Rebecca Tinio
In a statement from the plaintiffs' attorneys, Margaret Donovan, Abbe Lowell and Rebecca Tinio, the lawyers say the nine employees were fired because they did their jobs and followed the facts and law without bias, which they say the administration treats as an offense.
Responding to
Nine FBI special agents, staff operations specialists and intelligence analysts were fired in February 2026 because they worked on the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents, without cause, notice or a hearing, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments.
“In return for their service, they were fired because they did their jobs, as they always did to follow the facts and law without bias or favor. To this administration, this is an offense. To the rest of us, it is heroic”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Nine fired FBI employees sue Kash Patel, alleging they were dismissed for working on the Trump classified-documents investigation
Nine former FBI special agents, staff operations specialists and intelligence analysts sued FBI Director Kash Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department in federal court in Washington on October 15, 2026. They say they were fired on February 25 and 26, 2026, because they had been assigned to the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents, known inside the FBI as Plasmic Echo, and that they received no notice, hearing or chance to appeal. Patel's termination letters cited Article II of the Constitution and told each of them they had exercised poor judgment and a lack of impartiality, leading to the political weaponization of the government. At a Senate hearing in September 2026, Patel said agents were not fired for the simple fact of working on the Trump investigations. The suit seeks reinstatement, back pay and a declaration that the firings violated the First and Fifth Amendments.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report on the lawsuit, republished by the Anchorage Daily News, including a statement from the plaintiffs' attorneys.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Associated Press report describes the lawsuit filed that day by nine former FBI agents, intelligence analysts and staff operations specialists, and the complaint's account of their more than a century of combined FBI service.
After the quotation
The statement adds that the lawsuit will prove their unlawful dismissal and hold the administration accountable for a blatant attack on the rule of law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the FBI's February 2026 firing of employees who worked on the investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents. The attorneys say the employees were fired because they did their jobs and call the lawsuit a response to a blatant attack on the rule of law, which condemns the firings.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Kash Patel, Federal Bureau of Investigation
More from this case
Read the full caseSchiff says the next Congress will investigate the wrongful termination of agents
“while this Congress is not going to investigate the wrongful termination of potentially hundreds of agents for working on properly predicated investigations. The next Congress will.”Read statement
Patel tells senators agents were fired only if they weaponized law enforcement
“for the simple fact of working on those investigations? No. If they weaponize law enforcement, yes.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- The plaintiffs' attorneys say the nine were fired because they did their jobs
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6414-in-a-statement-from-the-plaintiffs-attorneys-margaret
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "The plaintiffs' attorneys say the nine were fired because they did their jobs". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6414-in-a-statement-from-the-plaintiffs-attorneys-margaret