DHS fired career IT employee Brandon Wright over private political remarks caught in a covert dating-app sting

On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a final Notice of Decision on Proposed Removal terminating Brandon Wright, a career IT employee of eight years, over private political remarks he made about then-incoming DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a date in Washington, D.C. Political provocateur James O'Keefe had covertly recorded the January 21, 2025 conversation and published it on February 3, 2025 as part of his "Dating the Deep State" video series, which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times; on the recording, Wright said Noem was "not a smart person" and that cabinet secretaries don't personally direct career employees. DHS placed Wright on administrative leave that same window, then issued a Proposed Notice of Removal on April 3, 2025 charging "Conduct Unbecoming of a Federal Employee." Wright submitted a written response through counsel on April 24, 2025.

DHS's January 8, 2026 termination decision acknowledged the "unfortunate circumstances" of the secret recording but concluded that continued employment would "signal to the workforce that it is permissible for employees to undermine the Secretary, the President's and [the deciding official's] agenda and authority." Wright, represented by attorney Mark Zaid, filed suit against DHS in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on January 19, 2026, alleging violations of his First Amendment and due-process rights. Zaid said he is aware of other federal workers and contractors targeted by similar O'Keefe stings who have been reluctant to sue because they could not find lawyers; O'Keefe has since posted additional undercover videos targeting Secret Service and FBI employees.