native, legitimate, work-related reasons. ???To succeed on ??? First Amendment claims, [the plaintiff] must demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that the [conduct] at issue was protected, that he suffered an adverse employment action, and that there was a causal connection between the protected [conduct] and the adverse employment action.??? Blum v. Schlegel, 18 F.3d 1005,1010 (2d Cir.19