Pride Flag Costs FBI Trainee His Job Under Trump-Era FBI Director Kash Patel

By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (October 2, 2025) — FBI Director Kash Patel terminated an FBI agent trainee after discovering the trainee had displayed a Pride flag on his desk last year, according to an exclusive report by NBC News.

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Citing three people familiar with the matter, NBC reported the trainee had previously worked as a support specialist in Los Angeles before joining the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. On October 1, the trainee received a letter of dismissal signed by Patel, citing the Pride flag as “inappropriate political signage.”

“You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service,” Patel wrote.

The termination notice was issued the same day the federal government entered a partial shutdown. Patel’s letter accused the trainee of “poor judgment” for the Pride flag display during his prior Los Angeles assignment.

Trump-Era Crackdown on LGBTQ Visibility

NBC News also reported that some FBI staff in Washington were instructed to scrub workstations and social media accounts for signs or comments critical of Trump, Patel, or MAGA leadership.

Since retaking office, President Donald Trump and his appointees have moved aggressively to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across federal agencies. Shortly after Trump’s second inauguration, the DOJ’s official LGBTQ resource group, DOJ Pride, announced it was ceasing operations “for the protection of all members.”

“In this time of uncertainty and concern, we have taken the extraordinary measure of ceasing operations of DOJ Pride,” an internal email read in January.

The firing has sparked outrage within LGBTQ circles and renewed fears of systematic purges under Trump’s second term. Critics argue the dismissal underscores a chilling new reality for LGBTQ federal workers under Patel’s leadership of the FBI.

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