A longtime FBI employee who was weeks away from completing special agent training is suing the bureau after being abruptly fired for displaying a Pride flag at his workspace.
According to The Associated Press, a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., states that 16-year FBI veteran David Maltinsky was dismissed last month after officials deemed the flag an “inappropriate display of political signage.”
Maltinsky, who previously worked as an intelligence specialist in the Los Angeles field office, had recently been pursuing his lifelong goal of becoming a special agent.
The lawsuit says Maltinsky had been given the “Progress Pride” flag in 2021 after it was taken down from outside the Los Angeles field office. The flag features the familiar rainbow stripes alongside a chevron of additional colors representing LGBTQ+ people and communities of color.
Maltinsky displayed it at his workstation in Los Angeles with his supervisors’ permission, the filing states.
In April, Maltinsky began the FBI Academy’s 19-week special agent training program in Quantico, Virginia. He had completed 16 weeks when he was summoned to a meeting, handed a dismissal letter signed by Director Kash Patel, and told he was being removed from the program effective immediately.
The lawsuit notes that Maltinsky had helped lead diversity initiatives during his FBI career. It also references President Donald Trump’s January executive order that eliminated all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government.
Maltinsky is suing Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Justice Department. He is seeking reinstatement, as well as a court declaration that his First Amendment speech rights and Fifth Amendment equal protection rights were violated.
“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, Christopher M. Mattei, said in a statement, calling the firing an unlawful attack.
The FBI declined to comment, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit comes as the bureau faces other internal challenges. In September, three high-ranking officials filed suit alleging they were pushed out in a “campaign of retribution” driven by political pressure during President Trump’s second term.
