FBI agents who aided in Jan. 6 related investigations filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Justice (DOJ) over efforts to terminate their employment.
The group of anonymous agents alleged the effort to “review and purge” personnel involved in Jan. 6 investigations violates federal law, expressing concern the department’s list of employees would be leaked.
“Plaintiffs reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons,” the lawsuit states. “Defendant’s gathering, retention, and disclosure of Plaintiffs’ activities related [to] the acts of former President Trump is a violation of Plaintiffs’ rights under the First Amendments to the Constitution.”
Agents were instructed to fill out a survey on Feb. 2 questioning their role in Jan. 6 cases or the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, the lawsuit states. The agents asked the court to block the release of the surveys or any information gained from them.
“These terminations were directed by Mr. Trump,” the lawsuit alleges. “They were politically motivated and unlawful, and were precisely the kind of retribution promised by Mr. Trump.”
Agents “may face other retaliatory acts such as demotion, denial of job opportunities or denial of promotions in the future,” even if they are not terminated, the lawsuit continues.
The FBI Agents Association also filed a lawsuit against the DOJ on Tuesday, seeking protection from the department’s “anticipated retaliatory decision to expose their personal information for opprobrium and potential vigilante action by those who they were investigating.”
“Since receiving their presidential pardons or commutations, the leaders of the January 6 riot and others have tagged FBI agents who worked on the investigation and prosecutions of those rioters,” the lawsuit notes.
The DOJ recently terminated officials who worked with special counsel Jack Smith to prosecute Trump.
Trump commuted sentences for some Jan. 6 defendants and pardoned all others during his first day in office.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
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