Three former FBI agents sued the Department of Justice on Tuesday, alleging that the bureau retaliated against them for their participation in investigations into President Donald Trump.

Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman and Blaire Toleman were fired in late 2025, Politico reported. The three were all involved in an investigation that preceded special counsel Jack Smith's probe into Trump's 2020 election challenges.

The suit names the DOJ, FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel as defendants, and claims they engaged in a "retribution campaign" against perceived political enemies in the DOJ.

Trump returned to office with a promise to crack down on the "deep state" and Patel has sought to upend some of the bureau's established norms in order to address some of what Trump considered to be political abuses related to the investigations involving him.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.