Kash Patel Accused of 'Unlawful Termination' by Ex-FBI Agent in Bombshell New Lawsuit
Former FBI agent Stephen Friend sued FBI Director Kash Patel.
Oct. 5 2026, Published 11:02 a.m. ET
Former FBI special agent Stephen Friend has sued FBI Director Kash Patel, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Friend is accusing Patel of firing him in December for off-duty comments about the bureau's pipe-bomb investigation and calling that removal an unlawful First Amendment retaliation.
Kash Patel Accused of Unlawful Termination
Friend's lawyer said he 'violated no existing FBI policy.'
Friend filed the complaint in federal court in Orlando and named Patel in his official capacity. It brings a single count and asks a judge to set aside the removal, restore Friend's employment subject to lawful eligibility requirements, correct his personnel records, and award back pay, unpaid compensation, and attorney fees.
His lawyer, Anthony Sabatini, said Friend "violated no existing FBI policy" and that Patel labeled protected speech "unprofessional conduct" as a pretext.
The complaint says the firing was meant to warn other agents that they would be punished for speaking, even off duty, about controversies involving Patel or the bureau.
Patel Signed Friend's Termination Letter in December
Patel's signed letter also cited alleged events from November.
Patel signed the termination letter on Dec. 12, 2025. It said Friend had taken part in unauthorized interactions with the media, publicly disseminated media sources, and commented on FBI matters and ongoing investigations.
The letter also said that in November he had circulated photographs identifying an alleged subject and discussed that person on a podcast without credible, verifiable evidence.
Friend's Comments Came on a Podcast
Friend went on a podcast hosted by former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin.
The comments at issue came on Dec. 5, 2025, on a podcast hosted by former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin.
Friend discussed the FBI investigation of two pipe bombs found near the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the arrest days earlier of a suspect, Brian Cole Jr. He suggested the arrest might be a "put-up job," or a setup, and a cover-up involving executive leadership, according to the complaint and contemporaneous accounts.
He did not name Patel.
He said, "You better pray to Gaia or Vishnu, or whatever your maker is, that real Steve Friend is never in a position to be an instrument of God's wrath, because I will be merciful: I won't give you a trial and a hanging," and added that he would leave the person "inside of a box" until death, "and then when it ultimately fades to black, that’s when real wrath begins."
Bureau officials later described the remarks as a veiled threat aimed at Patel, who was raised Hindu.
Friend Has Exited the Bureau Before
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Friend resigned back in 2023.
Friend was suspended in August 2022 under then-Director Christopher Wray after he objected to parts of the Jan. 6 investigation, and he resigned in February 2023.
He testified to Congress, wrote about the case, and became a regular commentator, and Patel supported him through a foundation before becoming director.
Empower Oversight, the firm that won a settlement restoring Friend to the payroll with back pay, dropped him as a client the day of the Dec. 5 podcast.
