David Maltinsky, a 16-year veteran, says in lawsuit agency retaliated against him for engaging in protected speech

A longtime FBI employee has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired for displaying a Pride flag at his desk, naming the FBI director, Kash Patel, the justice department and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, as defendants.

According to David Maltinsky, an intelligence specialist who had served with the bureau for 16 years, his wrongful termination earlier this year was “unconstitutional and politically motivated”.

The lawsuit claims the FBI violated Maltinsky’s first amendment rights and took retaliatory action against him for engaging in protected speech. Maltinsky is seeking a court order to restore his job.

      • SabinStargem@lemmy.today
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        4 hours ago

        I assume that historians would assign the title to whoever isn’t trying to fuck over humanity.

        • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          The title comes from the north literally fighting to keep the Union together, not that “the union” means “good guys”. They were good in this case because the reason the south was trying to leave was to keep slavery going.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    Were there any other flags on anyone else’s desks? Christian? Foreign nations? If you fire for one, you gotta fire for all of them.

    • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
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      6 hours ago

      I agree, but conversely if they dont allow flags, presumably excluding the US flag, that makes this make a lot more sense. Given that its kash patel, expecting logical consistency is asking a bit much, but if no one else has any flags then that would be a decent defense.

  • frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io
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    22 hours ago

    He wasn’t even displaying it at the time he was fired for it. Ridiculous bullshit. There needs to be an express lane for processing crap like this, it’s happening so often the court cases will drag on for years.

    • tornavish@lemmy.cafe
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      21 hours ago

      There needs to be a government to have a court to have judges to have prosecutors to have an express lane.

      This crime will never be punished. The federal judicial system has shut down, and it’s unlikely to return for a few decades (if ever)

      • huppakee@piefed.social
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        8 hours ago

        What’s the point of neutral lower courts if the ultimate say is for a bunch of people that aren’t neutral. You can win the first two and still get fucked over by the third round. The game is rigged.

    • ameancow@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      FBI has done some heinous shit in the past, and under this director is likely doing some heinous shit now, but these aren’t traffic cops pulling people over because they’re driving while black, these aren’t people shooting your family dog or sprinkling crack on your corpse.

      We largely need the FBI or an institution like them. If I have to explain why we need some level of federal law enforcement, then I encourage you to touch a lot more grass and history books.

      • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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        10 hours ago

        these aren’t traffic cops pulling people over because they’re driving while black, these aren’t people shooting your family dog or sprinkling crack on your corpse.

        Yeah, they are worse. They are the guys infiltrating and destroying socialist and communist parties, propping up union-busting corpos, and defending big capitalists’ property.

        Do countries need national/federal police? Yes. But FBI is doing so much heinous shit (as does every other policing institution in the US) that everyone working for them is a class traitor even if by willful association.

      • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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        12 hours ago

        You don’t need to be sympathetic to someone in order to fight common enemies together. Temporary allies yes, friends/comrades no.