FBI Director Kash Patel has terminated a probationary agent trainee after he displayed a gay pride flag on his desk during a prior assignment at a California field office. Patel cited the display as an "inappropriate display of political signage" and a lapse in judgment, according to a letter dated Oct. 1, 2025, reviewed by MSNBC. In September, over a dozen FBI agents were dismissed for taking a knee during racial justice protests in Washington, D.C., in 2020. The FBI Agents Association condemned the terminations, stating they were "unlawful" and politically motivated, Reuters reported. The letter did not specifically reference the gay pride flag but emphasized the display as "political signage" deemed inappropriate for the workplace.