# Veteran FBI Agent Sues Over FOIA Records After Resigning Under Kash Patel > Former FBI agent Michael Feinberg sues FBI for FOIA records after resigning to avoid professional purgatory under Kash Patel's leadership. - Title: Veteran FBI Agent Sues Over FOIA Records After Resigning… - Summary: Former FBI agent Michael Feinberg sues FBI for FOIA records after resigning to avoid professional purgatory under Kash Patel's leadership. - Keywords: fbi, kash patel, foia, michael feinberg, president trump, fbi director, fbi personnel changes, foia request, fbi resignation, fbi leadership, Law & Crime - Source: Law & Crime — https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/refused-to-answer-veteran-fbi-agent-who-resigned-rather-than-face-professional-purgatory-or-worse-under-kash-patels-watch-sues-for-foia-records-after-bureau-clams-up - Read time: 2 min - Topics: fbi, kash patel, foia, michael feinberg, president trump, fbi director, fbi personnel changes, foia request, fbi resignation, fbi leadership, crime, news ## FBI Lawsuit Former FBI agent Michael Feinberg filed an 11-page lawsuit against the FBI for violating the Freedom of Information Act. > To date, the FBI has failed to make a determination on Mr. Feinberg's request or produce any of the requested records ## Resignation Context Feinberg resigned in early 2025 after the FBI began purging agents deemed disloyal to President Trump under Kash Patel's leadership. > Patel, assisted by a group of employees known as the Director's Advisory Team, specifically targeted agents he perceived as adverse to President Trump ## Professional Threat Feinberg faced demotion and a polygraph test after being questioned about his friendship with Peter Strzok, a former agent fired in 2018. > Mr. Feinberg learned that he would likely lose a promotion and instead face a demotion and a polygraph test ## FOIA Request Feinberg submitted a detailed FOIA request for information about his tenure and departure from the FBI in May 2026. > Mr. Feinberg submitted his foia request seeking information related to his tenure at the agency and the circumstances surrounding his departure ## FBI Response The FBI estimated a processing time of 2,010 days for Feinberg's request, which is five and a half years. > The FBI informed Mr. Feinberg that the estimated date of completion for his request would be 2,010 days, or roughly five and a half years ## FBI Refusal The FBI refused to answer Feinberg's question about whether the lengthy processing time was connected to his public criticism of FBI changes. > When Mr. Feinberg asked whether the lengthy processing time had any connection to his public criticism of recent changes at the agency, the FBI refused to answer ## Legal Action Feinberg seeks court orders to compel the FBI to immediately process and disclose his FOIA records. > The lawsuit asks the court to find an unlawful "failure to comply with FOIA", that feinberg is "entitled to disclosure of the requested records" and to issue an order directing the fbi to "immediately process Mr. Feinberg's request and to disclose responsive record" ## Background Feinberg worked as a federal agent for 16 years before resigning in early 2025 to avoid professional purgatory under Kash Patel's leadership. > Michael Feinberg is a former agent and sixteen-year veteran ## Current Role Feinberg now writes for Lawfare, a national-security-focused legal blog, and works on FBI-related issues for a nonprofit advocacy organization. > Mr. Feinberg now writes for a popular audience about the fbi ## FOIA Expertise Feinberg took care to be granular in crafting his FOIA request to avoid implicating any exemptions under the law. > Mr. Feinberg took care to be as granular as possible in crafting his foia request given his own prior experience responding to foia requests while working at the fbi ## FBI Timeline The FBI's personnel changes began during the first months of the second Trump administration, including sweeping changes to the agency. > The changes within the fbi as beginning during "the first months" of the second trump administration ## FBI Leadership Kash Patel, the FBI director, has been accused of purging agents deemed disloyal to President Trump through his Director's Advisory Team. > Patel, assisted by a group of employees known as the Director's Advisory Team, specifically targeted agents he perceived as adverse to president trump ## Public Criticism Feinberg has publicly criticized the FBI's leadership changes and their impact on agency operations. > Mr. Feinberg now writes for a popular audience about the fbi ## Legal Outcome The lawsuit seeks to compel the FBI to disclose records related to Feinberg's resignation and the agency's personnel changes. > The lawsuit asks the court to find an unlawful "failure to comply with FOIA", that feinberg is "entitled to disclosure of the requested records" ## FBI Response Timeline The FBI has not responded to Feinberg's FOIA request since the initial estimate of 2,010 days was provided. > Since the lengthy processing estimate, however, feinberg has received no further communications ## Key takeaway Michael Feinberg, a 16-year veteran FBI agent who resigned in early 2025 to avoid professional purgatory under Kash Patel's leadership, sued the FBI for FOIA records after the agency refused to respond to his request within statutory deadlines.