Suit Says FBI Fired Employee Over Pride Flag

A veteran FBI employee training to become a special agent was fired last month for displaying at his workspace an LGBTQ+ flag, which had previously flown outside a field office, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. David Maltinsky had worked at the FBI for 16 years and was nearly finished with special agent training in Quantico, Virginia, when he was called into a meeting last month with FBI officials, the AP reports. He was given a letter from Director Kash Patel and told he was being "summarily dismissed" over the inappropriate display of political signage, Maltinsky's lawsuit said.

The suit, filed Wednesday in US District court in Washington, said Maltinsky had been a decorated intelligence specialist working in the Los Angeles field office and most recently was pursuing a longtime dream of becoming a special agent. In June 2021, the Los Angeles field office displayed a "Progress Pride" flag, which consists of rainbow-colored horizontal stripes and a chevron with black, brown, pink, light blue, and white colors. It's meant to represent people of color as well as the LGBTQ+ community. Maltinsky was given that flag after it had come down and was then displayed at his Los Angeles field office workstation with the support and permission of his supervisors, according to the lawsuit.

Maltinsky had successfully completed 16 of the 19 weeks of training at the FBI Academy at the time of his firing, the lawsuit stated. The suit said he had helped lead diversity initiatives during his time at the bureau as well. President Trump issued an executive order in January ending all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the government. "This case is about far more than one man's career—it's about whether the government can punish Americans simply for saying who they are," Maltinsky's attorney said in a statement. The suit names Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department as defendants. In addition to reinstatement, Maltinsky seeks an order declaring that the defendants violated his First Amendment rights to speech and Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection under the law.