TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Three federal civil service members, including a former Tampa federal prosecutor, filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration for its “unlawful and unconstitutional actions.” They’re calling for their reinstatement.

According to the complaint filed Thursday, Attorney General and Temple Terrace native Pam Bondi did not provide a cause or warning for their terminations and only cited Article II in their dismissal letters, which empowers the president.

The three plaintiffs include Mike Gordon, who was an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida; Patricia Hartman, who was a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist in the DOJ’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; and Joseph Tirrel, who served as the senior-most executive in charge of the DOJ’s Departmental Ethics Office in Washington, D.C.

They are suing President Trump, AG Bondi, the Justice Department and the United States of America because they believe their firings were in retaliation for prosecutions that were perceived as politically affiliated.

According to the complaint, all three plaintiffs were involved with the prosecution of Jan. 6 criminal defendants. They claim Bondi disregarded “long-standing statutory and regulatory protections that govern how and when members of the civil service can be terminated.”

They are seeking relief under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Federal Declaratory Judgment Act, the All Writs Act and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

The suit said Gordon spent his eight-and-a-half years of federal service based in Tampa with no disciplinary history and consistently receiving “outstanding” performance ratings in every annual review since 2017.

Court records said from November 2021 to December 2023, he was detailed as Senior Trial Counsel to the Capitol Siege Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C to prosecute Jan. 6 cases, including Richard Barnett, Eric Munchel, and Ray Epps.

During his time with the Middle District of Florida, Gordon tried 20 criminal trials to verdict, secured over 100 convictions, and handled or participated in over 100 federal investigations.

Gordon received his dismissal letter from Bondi on June 27 when he was conducting a virtual witness preparation interview for an upcoming criminal trial. Two other federal prosectors were fired that day.

Gordon, Hartman and Tirrel claim the “Attorney General does not have absolute authority to simply remove DOJ employees. Specifically, there are crucial guardrails that protect employees from arbitrary or unlawful termination.”

They said the Civil Service Reform Act and other civil service laws were enacted by Congress to specifically protect federal employees from political retaliation and to provide procedural protections.

The lawsuit points out that Gordon’s termination came as a shock because he was hand-selected by U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe to co-lead the Leo Govoni prosecution just a month prior. Govoni and his accountant John Witeck were indicted four days before Gordon’s firing. The two are accused of stealing over $100 million from a medical trust fund intended to help people with special needs. The suit said Gordon was personally congratulated on the indictment by Kehoe.

Kehoe’s office declined to comment on Gordon’s termination but wrote, “The case against Leo Govoni and John Witeck will proceed as scheduled.”  

The three plaintiff’s retained high-profile DC attorney Abbe Lowell.

“Our justice system depends on the independence of prosecutors who enforce the law without fear, favor, or political pressure. When that independence is compromised, justice itself is at risk,” Lowell said. “This case isn’t about one prosecutor’s career, but the integrity of our legal system. Mike Gordon was a distinguished prosecutor whose public service included convicting violent gang members, Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and fraudsters who preyed on people with disabilities. He followed the law, not politics, and was fired for it.”

Gordon spoke to Investigative Reporter Brittany Muller earlier this week.

“I don’t know where the case is going to go from here, but if I win, the government could be ordered to reinstate me; but it’s going to be a year, maybe two, before that case ends and who knows if this administration would even follow that order,” Gordon said.

The White House and the DOJ had previously told News Channel 8 no comment when asked questions about Gordon’s termination. In light of the lawsuit being filed, 8 On Your Side has reached out again for comment.