Three former FBI agents filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Washington, D.C., alleging they were illegally terminated in a "retribution campaign" for their roles investigating President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and they are seeking reinstatement to their jobs, according to a report from The Associated Press (AP).
The case challenges what the plaintiffs describe as politically motivated personnel actions inside federal law enforcement and could affect dozens of terminated agents if the court grants class status.
The lawsuit follows special counsel Jack Smith's 2023 prosecution of President Trump over alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and a separate classified documents case -- both of which Smith later moved to drop after Trump returned to the White House in 2024, citing Department of Justice (DOJ) opinions barring federal indictments of a sitting president.
The suit alleged the three agents were terminated in October and November 2025 as part of a broader "retribution campaign" against personnel who worked investigations related to President Trump, including the probe that culminated in Smith's 2023 election-related indictment.
The complaint sought reinstatement, a declaration that the plaintiffs' rights were violated, and class-action status to represent at least 50 agents terminated since January 20, 2025, or who will be.
The plaintiffs said their dismissals followed the release by Senator Chuck Grassley, then the Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, of internal records about the election investigation -- code-named "Arctic Frost" -- including materials showing that Smith's team had subpoenaed several days of phone records from some Republican lawmakers.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi are accused in the complaint of orchestrating the terminations despite having prior involvement as subpoenaed witnesses or attorneys in matters connected to President Trump. The suit said Patel was subpoenaed by a grand jury in the classified documents probe and that Bondi served on President Trump's first impeachment defense team.
The plaintiffs said termination letters accused them of "weaponizing" federal law enforcement, a claim they called defamatory and baseless.
The plaintiffs were identified as Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blaire Toleman, each with between eight and 14 years of FBI service described in the complaint as "exemplary and unblemished."
"Serving the American people as FBI agents was the highest honor of our lives," the agents said in a statement, calling their removal a "profound injustice."
A joint statement released by the former FBI agents Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blaire Toleman cited by AP: "Serving the American people as FBI agents was the highest honor of our lives. We took an oath to uphold the Constitution, followed the facts wherever they led and never compromised our integrity. Our removal from federal service -- without due process and based on a false perception of political bias -- is a profound injustice that raises serious concerns about political interference in federal law enforcement."
Dan Eisenberg, an attorney for the agents at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, said in a statement reported by AP: "This lawsuit seeks to reaffirm fundamental constitutional protections for FBI employees, ensuring they can perform their duties without fear or favor. We all benefit when law enforcement officers' only loyalty is to facts and the truth."
The plaintiffs sought class-action status that could extend relief to at least 50 agents terminated since January 20, 2025, if granted by the court.
The DOJ and FBI have not publicly responded to the lawsuit's allegations as of publication beyond declining comment, and no hearing date has been announced.