The case landed in federal court in Washington on Thursday, naming the FBI director, the attorney general and both agencies. The plaintiffs say they were dismissed for no legitimate reason and only "to satisfy the President's personal vendetta," the complaint states. Lawyers for the group, including Abbe Lowell and Margaret Donovan, said in a statement that the agents were punished for following the facts and the law.
None had been investigated internally, none had a record of misconduct, and none got a chance to respond or appeal, the suit says. Some of their own bosses, the filing adds, were taken aback by the decisions and sorry to see them go. Patel has given Congress a different account, describing the dismissals as for-cause actions that followed internal inquiries, according to NBC News, a version the plaintiffs reject in their filing. The filing says the employees never volunteered for the documents case, codenamed Plasmic Echo, but were assigned because of the counterintelligence squads they belonged to.
The national security angle is central to the plaintiffs' argument.
The suit joins a growing pile of litigation from bureau personnel who worked on Trump-related matters.