FBI sued for suspending analyst, military vet for espousing ‘conspiratorial’ Jan. 6 views

The government watchdog group Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against the FBI for having put on administrative leave an analyst for espousing “conspiratorial views” that suggest support for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina on behalf of FBI analyst Marcus Allen. 

In January, the FBI informed Allen – whose military service awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal – that his security clearance had been suspended because an internal probe concluded he’d been espousing conspiratorial views and promoting unreliable information that indicates support for events related to the riot, which occurred about a year earlier, on Jan. 6, 2021, according to Judicial Watch.

"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,” reads the FBI letter to Allen.

In February, the agency told Allen that he was being placed on administrative leave without pay due to the suspension of his clearance. 

Judicial Watch and other conservative-leaning groups and individuals have suggested an increased effort by the FBI under the Biden administration to remove employees who espouse conservative views. 

In announcing the lawsuit, Judicial Watch quotes Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, among the most conservative members of Congress, in saying, “Multiple whistleblowers have called it a ‘purge’ of FBI employees holding conservative views.”

The suit, Marcus O. Allen v. Christopher Wray, is filed against FBI Director Christopher Wray and alleges he is violating Allen's constitutional rights by accusing him of conspiratorial views, revoking his clearance and suspending him from duty without pay. 

The suit argues Allen had demonstrated his allegiance to the U.S. through his “years of exemplary military and law enforcement service” and that he “was not involved in the events of January 6 and did not support them in any material way. The FBI has made no allegation or offered any evidence to the contrary.”

Judicial Watch also contends that the FBI did not give Allen a chance to clear himself, despite his repeated inquiries.