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An experienced Federal Bureau of Investigation intelligence specialist has filed a lawsuit alleging he was terminated on account of exhibiting a Pride flag within his desk area.

According to the former employee, who served for the FBI for 16 years, the firing earlier this year was “improper and biased”.

Court Action Asserts First Amendment Breaches

The complaint argues that the bureau violated Maltinsky’s constitutional protections and took punitive measures against him for expressing protected communication.

Maltinsky is asking for a court order to reinstate his employment at the bureau.

Information from the Lawsuit

The comprehensive complaint, lodged in federal court in Washington, D.C., states that the employee was dismissed from the Quantico facility last month for before displaying the flag at his workstation.

According to the document, the rainbow symbol was given to the employee to honor his contributions to promote the bureau’s diversity initiatives.

Since childhood, all I have wanted to do has been to serve the nation and protect its security beside the talented and committed individuals of the FBI,” remarked the plaintiff.

He added, I showed that Pride flag – which in 2021 was displayed at the Los Angeles office – not to make a political point, but as a representation of acceptance, solidarity and impartial service.

These principles that helped build a robust FBI. Now it is a place where employees like me are targeted. I think I was dismissed not because of my person, but rather because of what I represent: a proud gay man,” he concluded.

Abrupt Dismissal Just ahead of Graduation

Earlier this year, the plaintiff was accepted into the federal agent training academy at Quantico, Virginia, before what he called “sudden termination just three weeks before completion”.

The filing also claims that eventually after the 2017 inauguration, another employee expressed a complaint to the overseeing official regarding the presence of the LGBTQ+ symbol.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the employee requested that the top lawyer for the local bureau assess whether the display of the symbol was permissible,” the filing said.

The document continued, The advisor informed the plaintiff that the display of the symbol was not against the agency’s standards.”

Notification of Firing

Despite this, on the first of October, the plaintiff was notified of his dismissal.

In a letter referenced in the lawsuit, bureau chief Kash Patel wrote, I have concluded that you demonstrated improper judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your office while previously assigned at the Los Angeles Field Office.

Under federal law of the Constitution, and the laws of the nation, your position with the FBI is concluded.”

Lawyer Remarks

In a release issued on Wednesday, his attorney his counsel remarked, The government’s unlawfully firing him is a component of a broader effort to remove government departments of staff with different viewpoints, or are from marginalized groups, or individuals that speak out against discrimination.

“David’s fight goes beyond his situation, but about securing the rights and freedoms of all public servants.”

Department Reaction

The bureau declined to comment about the legal action.

Similar Proceedings

The case comes after an additional filing filed in September by previous high-level bureau employees who said they had been unlawfully fired.

They claimed that the director stated he had been ordered by the White House to fire any employee participating in an inquiry into Trump.

At the same time, the bureau fired a long-serving employee earlier this month subsequent to Patel allegedly grew upset due to accounts that the agency head used a federal plane to go to a sports event where his girlfriend sang the national anthem.

The official, a bureau veteran for many years, was removed as head of the agency’s response team, that handles major security threats and the bureau’s aircraft.