Lawsuit accuses FBI of violating agent’s free speech rights
BATON ROUGE, La. — A suspended FBI agent in New Orleans sued the bureau and several superiors Monday for disciplining him after he sent a letter to a federal judge to express concerns about the Justice Department’s handling of a case.
Agent Michael Zummer’s federal lawsuit accuses the FBI of violating his free speech rights. The suit seeks a court order requiring the FBI to reinstate Zummer’s to active duty and restore his security clearance.
Zummer was suspended without pay last September after he sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt about his investigation of a former Louisiana district attorney accused of trading sex for leniency.
Engelhardt sentenced former St. Charles Parish District Attorney Harry Morel to three years in prison last year after the longtime prosecutor pleaded guilty to obstructing the federal investigation.