Career DOJ Official Sues Pam Bondi After Publicly Shared Video Leads to Firing
A longtime Department of Justice employee has filed a federal lawsuit against Attorney General Pam Bondi and the U.S. government, saying he was wrongfully dismissed after a privately recorded conversation involving him was made public earlier this year.
Joseph Schnitt, who served at the DOJ for more than two decades, lost his job after a video surfaced showing him making personal observations about how high-profile case materials might be handled by department officials. Schnitt says the comments were made on his own time, outside of work, and were based only on information already available to the public.
Bondi removed him from his position shortly after the video gained attention, calling the remarks inappropriate for a senior official. The DOJ also released an internal message from Schnitt acknowledging the situation.
In his lawsuit, Schnitt argues he was not given a chance to respond before being terminated and says he was denied the normal review procedures available to career civil-service employees. His complaint also claims the public release of his internal message may have violated federal privacy protections.
Schnitt is asking for reinstatement, back pay, and a formal hearing to clear his name.
The case comes as the DOJ faces heightened scrutiny over internal personnel decisions during Bondi’s tenure, with several other employees recently raising similar concerns through separate filings.