FBI sued for suspending analyst because he espoused ‘conspiratorial views’ about Jan. 6
Jack Birle
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The FBI has been sued by a watchdog group for putting an employee on leave for allegedly supporting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Marcus Allen, an FBI staff operations specialist, claims he was wrongly placed on administrative leave from an internal FBI investigation in a lawsuit filed by him and Judicial Watch on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
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Allen claims he first learned he had his security clearance suspended for espousing “conspiratorial views” and “promot[ing] unreliable information” about the riot via a letter dated Jan. 10, 2022.
“The Security Division has learned you have espoused conspiratorial views both orally and in writing and promoted unreliable information which indicates support for the events of January 6th. These allegations raise sufficient concerns about your allegiance to the United States and your judgment to warrant a suspension of your clearance pending further investigation,” the letter said, per the court filing.
Allen is a Marine veteran and 2019 FBI Charlotte Field Office employee of the year, according to the lawsuit. He was placed on administrative leave without pay in a Feb. 17 letter, the lawsuit alleges. He claims he complied with an interview request in May but has not heard from the bureau since.
Despite the claims against him by the FBI, Allen asserts that he does not and has never supported the Capitol riot. He also says the bureau never provided any evidence for the claims against him.
The plaintiffs are suing the FBI for violations of Allen’s First and Fifth Amendment rights, alleging the FBI attempted to regulate his speech by punishing certain viewpoints and for being vague in its reasoning to take away his job.
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The FBI has faced criticism for its handling of the Capitol riot, including for attempting to retaliate against whistleblowers who allege the bureau has inflated domestic terrorism statistics in the aftermath of the riot. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee accused the FBI of “purging” employees with conservative viewpoints.