CNN reports:

The FBI Agents Association is warning lawmakers that recent firings at the agency have “purposely violated” the due process rights of agents, expressly calling out FBI Director Kash Patel for what the association sees as flagrant policy violations and potential political retribution.

“We want you to be aware that Director Patel is making personnel decisions without providing the due process protections promised to the recently terminated law enforcement officers under federal law,” the association’s president, Natalie Bara, wrote to Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.

The letter highlights the firings of former FBI Acting Director Brian Driscoll, Washington Field Office Assistant Director Steven Jensen, and several other special agents, who received letters from Patel this month informing them of their immediate termination.

“None of the affected Agents were previously accused of misconduct or given notice and an opportunity to defend themselves,” Bara wrote, “even though well-established FBI policy … required that these Agents be provided with both.”

In a separate message to its members Wednesday, the association’s leadership slammed Patel for allegedly reneging on past promises of due process, writing, “He has failed to honor that commitment.”

The message continued with a warning about potential threats to the nation’s security, indicating the recent “terminations, which disregard established law and procedure, threaten to undermine the vital work Special Agents perform and create serious national security risks.” [Continue reading…]