What happened
Two former FBI special agents sued FBI Director Kash Patel in federal court on Thursday, saying their terminations last fall were directly linked to their assignments on the inquiry into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The pair filed the complaint anonymously in Washington D.C. federal court, alleging they were dismissed after pressure from former President Donald Trump and his supporters to remove personnel involved in that investigation.
The allegations against the director
The lawsuit states that Kash Patel publicly labeled agents who worked on the election-related case as "corrupt actors" who had "weaponized law enforcement," and that he fired the two agents without a hearing or any internal investigation. The complaint seeks a court order reinstating the agents to their positions and asks the court to find the terminations violated their constitutional protections for free speech and due process.
Role in the investigation
According to the filing, both agents were assigned to the Federal Bureau’s Washington field office and had established positive performance records during their years of service. Each was detailed to an inquiry the FBI labeled "Arctic Frost," a probe into an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election through the use of fake electors. The suit specifies that this assignment was outside their normal duties and that neither agent played a central or major role in the probe.
Connection to wider prosecutions and outcomes
The agents’ work was part of the investigation that led to the 2023 indictment of former President Trump on charges that he led a conspiracy to block certification of his 2020 election defeat to President Joe Biden. The lawsuit notes that the U.S. Department of Justice later dropped that case in 2024 after Trump’s reelection.
Public statements and campaign pressure
The complaint also describes a broader context of pressure during and after Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign, saying Trump and his supporters vowed to seek out government employees they considered politically opposed to him, with particular attention on the FBI. The suit cites social media posts from Trump in which he referred to agents who worked on Arctic Frost as "total Scum" and "Radical Left Lunatics."
Timing and administrative details of the terminations
Per the lawsuit, both agents were terminated between late October and early November 2025. Each agent received a termination letter; neither was informed that the dismissals were due to poor performance or misconduct, the filing states. The complaint also says the language in the termination letters bars the agents from future employment within the Executive Branch.
Employment impact after dismissal
The two former agents reported they have been unable to find new jobs. The lawsuit attributes this in part to the Executive Branch employment bar included in their termination letters. It also states they have been repeatedly turned down by other organizations that are concerned hiring them could damage their relationships with the Trump administration.
Response
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to the filing.
Note: This article presents allegations as described in the anonymous federal complaint and does not add facts beyond those contained in that filing.