Nine former FBI personnel filed a federal lawsuit on October 15, 2026, alleging they were unlawfully fired without due process for investigating President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents. The lawsuit names FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche, framing the February 2026 terminations as political retribution following access to the 'Plasmic Echo' case files. The plaintiffs allege the hasty firings disrupted active counterintelligence cases and compromised national security.
Lawsuit details and requested remedies
- ▪The nine plaintiffs suing FBI Director Kash Patel—Jennifer Bacon, Zach Feldman, Gilbert Granados, Catherine Herrera, Harrison Kaufman, Jeremy Linton, Erin Matanic, Danielle Ray, and Rachel Vaccaro—include former FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, and staff operations specialists
- ▪Nine former FBI employees filed a 70-page lawsuit on October 15, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging they were unlawfully terminated for working on the Trump classified documents investigation known as 'Plasmic Echo'
- ▪The lawsuit filed by nine former FBI employees names FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, the FBI, and the Department of Justice as defendants
Special Agent Miles Starr's actions
- ▪Special Agent Miles Starr had previously testified in the since-dismissed indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey with lying to Congress, which drew criticism from a federal magistrate judge over procedural missteps
- ▪FBI Special Agent Miles Starr emailed Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky on February 23, 2026, stating he was acting under instructions from FBI Director Kash Patel to access classified case files
Disruption of Iranian counterintelligence cases
- ▪Plaintiff Jeremy Linton was managing several dozen Iranian counterintelligence cases and was denied the opportunity to convey received intelligence to colleagues prior to his termination
- ▪The nine former FBI employees' lawsuit alleges the abrupt terminations disrupted ongoing counterintelligence operations, including Iranian threat investigations managed by plaintiff Jeremy Linton, endangering American national security prior to U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran on February 28, 2026
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