"Under President Trump, who considers himself a victim a victim of the so-called "Deep State," America's top national security agencies have undergone a mistrust-driven transformation as leaders seek to ferret leakers and ensure loyalty. Driscoll was joined in the suit, filed in D.C. federal court, by Steven Jensen, whom Patel named assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, and Spencer Evans, the former special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office."
"Patel said in a conversation with Driscoll that he had to remove employees because "his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of the agents who worked on cases involving the President," the lawsuit alleges. "Patel not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people," it reads. Flashback: In a written response provided for a January Senate questionnaire, Patel repeatedly emphasized that "[p]ersonnel decisions should be based on performance and adherence to the law.""
Senior national security agencies have undergone a mistrust-driven transformation focused on rooting out leakers and ensuring loyalty. Three former FBI officials filed a federal suit alleging Patel removed employees because his ability to keep his job depended on eliminating agents who worked on cases involving the President. The suit names additional plaintiffs and links Patel’s actions to directives understood to come from the DOJ and White House. The complaint alleges deliberate politicization of personnel decisions and contends those moves undermined law enforcement priorities. Patel previously asserted personnel decisions should be based on performance and adherence to law, while Democrats cited concerns over a 2023 book listing "deep state" officials.
Read at Axios
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