Hinge: Former DOJ Official Who Thought He Was on a Hinge Date Sues After Firing Over Epstein Comments
A former Department of Justice lawyer has sued after being fired for remarks he made about the Jeffrey Epstein files while speaking to a woman he believed he met on the dating app Hinge, the suit says. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges his dismissal violated his constitutional and statutory rights.
The lawsuit — linked in the filing itself — says Joseph H. Schnitt III was recorded without his knowledge during conversations that were later posted online by conservative activist James O’Keefe and the O’Keefe Media Group. The short clip, posted on X, includes Schnitt saying there are “thousands and thousands” of pages of Epstein-related materials and suggesting the Justice Department would redact the names of conservative or Republican figures while leaving those of liberal Democrats. In the same recording he said of Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer: “They’re offering her something to keep her mouth shut.”
According to the Nov. 24 suit, Schnitt repeatedly told the woman he knew nothing privileged and that his observations were conjecture or opinions based on press coverage. The complaint says Schnitt had been discussing a topic that “was being discussed nationally” and that he had no special access to information on the matter.
The suit states Schnitt had served for “more than 23 years” at the DOJ and had overseen the federal witness security program as acting deputy chief of the Special Operations Unit in the Criminal Division. It alleges he was “suddenly, arbitrarily and unlawfully fired” on Sept. 5 after the recording surfaced, and that the dates were in fact a setup and the woman was working as an operative for O’Keefe.
Schnitt’s complaint claims his “personal conversation during nonduty hours is quintessential protected speech on a matter of public concern” and accuses the Justice Department of retaliation in violation of the First Amendment. The suit also alleges violations of the Fifth Amendment’s due process protections, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Privacy Act. It further contends the DOJ published Schnitt’s explanation to his supervisor on X without his permission.
Schnitt is seeking reinstatement and a declaratory judgment that his constitutional and statutory rights were violated. He is represented by whistleblower lawyer Mark Zaid.
