Former FBI Agents Challenge Dismissal Over 2020 Protest Kneeling: Legal Battle Against Director Patel Unfolds

Lawsuit filed by former FBI agents names Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants in a legal challenge over their termination.

A collective of twelve former FBI agents initiated legal proceedings on Monday, alleging they were wrongfully terminated for kneeling during a racial justice demonstration in Washington DC in 2020.

The agents were dismissed earlier this year by FBI Director Kash Patel, who faces accusations from Democrats of conducting a purge targeting agents perceived as disloyal to President Donald Trump.

Filed in a Washington federal court, the lawsuit seeks reinstatement for the twelve agents—comprising nine women and three men—and specifically names Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants.

In their legal filing, the agents, who submitted the lawsuit anonymously, detailed the circumstances they faced in the capital during the incident in question.

The events occurred on June 4, 2020, less than two weeks following the death of George Floyd, a Black man whose killing by a white police officer in Minneapolis triggered nationwide protests demanding racial justice.

According to the complaint, these FBI agents, specialized in counterintelligence and counterterrorism, were deployed by the bureau into a volatile downtown Washington environment without "training, protective gear, or less-than-lethal munitions" necessary for effective crowd management.

"They were confronted by a mob that included hostile individuals alongside families with young children," the filing states, explaining that they "made a considered tactical decision" to kneel.

"Responding to the dangerous situation before them, Plaintiffs avoided triggering violence by assuming a kneeling posture associated with de-escalations between law enforcement officers and their communities during this period of national unrest," the lawsuit elaborates.

The agents maintain their approach was effective, stating, "Plaintiffs' de-escalation response was immediately successful," and "as a result of their tactical decision to kneel, the mass of people moved on without escalating to violence."

They further note that both the FBI and Justice Department reviewed and cleared their actions at the time of the incident.

However, more than five years later, they received dismissal notices from Patel, citing "unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties, leading to the political weaponization of government."

This lawsuit represents the latest in a series of legal challenges against the FBI from former agents claiming unjust dismissal.

Last month, David Maltinsky, a gay agent with 16 years of FBI service, filed a lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully terminated for displaying a gay pride flag at his desk.