A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee who was dismissed after a video surfaced of him criticising Secretary Kristi Noem on a date has sued the department, alleging his termination violated his First Amendment rights.
Brandon Wright, an IT specialist who worked at DHS for eight years, claims in a federal lawsuit that his career ended abruptly due to what he calls 'yellow journalism tactics' by a woman he met on the dating app Bumble. The suit alleges she recorded him without consent while they discussed Noem over cocktails, and that she was working with conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and his O’Keefe Media Group (OMG).
After the recordings spread online, DHS placed Wright on administrative leave in January 2025 and fired him on 8 January. Wright argues that his off-duty comments were protected speech on a matter of public concern, and that the government retaliated unlawfully. Attorney Mark Zaid, representing Wright, called the firing an example of the Trump administration suppressing dissent.
The lawsuit names DHS, the woman (referred to as Heidi Doe), and Noem as defendants. It states that the woman steered the conversation to politics, agreed that Noem was 'crazy', and later sent threatening messages after Wright declined a second date. O’Keefe and OMG are not sued. DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
