The FBI has fired approximately 20 agents who were photographed kneeling during racial justice protests in Washington following George Floyd’s May 2020 death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The bureau initially reassigned the agents last spring but has since terminated their employment, said sources who requested anonymity to discuss personnel matters. The exact number of terminated employees remains unclear.
The photographs showed agents taking a knee during demonstrations following Floyd’s killing, which sparked nationwide protests over policing and racial injustice after video of the arrest circulated widely. While the kneeling angered some within the FBI, others understood it as a possible de-escalation tactic during a volatile protest period.
The FBI Agents Association confirmed late Friday that more than a dozen agents were fired, including military veterans with statutory protections, condemning the action as unlawful. The association called on Congress to investigate and characterized the firings as evidence of FBI Director Kash Patel’s disregard for employees’ legal rights.
“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents association stated. “But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process.”
An FBI spokesman declined comment Friday.
The terminations occur amid broader personnel changes as Patel reshapes the federal law enforcement agency. Five agents and senior executives were summarily fired last month in actions that current and former officials say have damaged morale.
Terminated personnel include Steve Jensen, who oversaw investigations into the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, and Brian Driscoll, who served as acting FBI director during Trump’s first administration and resisted Justice Department demands for names of agents investigating January 6.
Chris Meyer was incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in investigating President Trump’s classified documents retention at Mar-a-Lago. Walter Giardina participated in high-profile investigations including one involving Trump adviser Peter Navarro.
A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll, and another fired supervisor Spencer Evans alleged that Patel acknowledged it was “likely illegal” to fire agents based on cases they worked but claimed powerlessness to prevent it because the White House and Justice Department were determined to remove agents who investigated Trump.
Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking White House orders on terminations and stated anyone fired failed to meet FBI standards.
The firings raise questions about politicization of law enforcement personnel decisions and protections for agents performing duties during sensitive investigations or public events.
