Washington– A veteran FBI employee training to become a special agent was fired last month for displaying at his workplace an LGBTQ+ flag that had previously flown outside a field office, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
David Maltinsky had worked for the FBI for 16 years and was finishing his special agent training in Quantico, Va., when he was summoned to a meeting last month with FBI officials, where he received a letter from Director Cash Patel telling him he had been “summarily fired” for the inappropriate display of political signs, Maltinsky’s lawsuit says.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, said Maltinsky was a decorated intelligence professional working in the Los Angeles field office who had recently been pursuing a long-held dream of becoming a special agent.
In June 2021, the Los Angeles field office displayed the “Progress Pride” flag, which consists of rainbow and chevron horizontal stripes in black, brown, pink, light blue and white. It’s meant to represent people of color, as well as the LGBTQ+ community. Maltinsky was given the flag after the fall, then displayed at a workstation in his Los Angeles field office with the support and permission of his supervisors, according to the lawsuit.
In April, he began training at the FBI academy to become a special agent, and successfully completed 16 of the 19 weeks of training at the time of his dismissal, the lawsuit stated.
Maltinsky said in the lawsuit that he helped lead diversity initiatives during his time in the office as well. President Donald Trump He issued an executive order in January End all diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the government.
The lawsuit names Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice as defendants.
The FBI declined to comment. A message seeking comment on behalf of the Justice Department was not immediately responded to on Wednesday.
Among other things, Maltinsky is seeking reinstatement along with an order declaring that the defendants violated their First Amendment rights to expression and Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection under the law.
Maltinsky’s attorney, Christopher M. Mattei, called the shooting an unlawful attack.
“This case is not just about one man’s career, it is about whether the government can punish Americans simply for saying who they are,” Mattei said in a statement.
last Difficult lawsuits Office staff moves have been elevated since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. In September, Three high-ranking FBI officials They said in a lawsuit that they were fired in a “retaliation campaign” carried out by a manager who knew better but caved to political pressure from the Trump administration.