FBI Fires Multiple Agents Who Knelt During 2020 Racial Justice Protests: Personnel Purge Raises Legal Concerns

The FBI Agents Association confirmed in a statement that more than a dozen agents had been fired. (File)

Washington:

The FBI has terminated agents who were captured in photographs kneeling during racial justice demonstrations in Washington following George Floyd's death in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, according to three individuals familiar with the situation who spoke on Friday.

These agents were initially reassigned by the bureau last spring but have since been dismissed, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press.

While the exact number of terminated FBI employees remains unclear, two sources indicated it was approximately 20.

The photographs in question showed a group of agents kneeling during protests following Floyd's May 2020 killing, which sparked a national conversation about police practices and racial injustice after millions viewed the arrest video. The kneeling gesture generated controversy within the FBI but was also considered a potential de-escalation strategy during the protest period.

In a statement released late Friday, the FBI Agents Association confirmed that over a dozen agents had been terminated, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and denounced the action as unlawful. The association called for a congressional investigation and stated that the firings further demonstrated FBI Director Kash Patel's disregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.

"As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law," the agents association declared. "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 spokesperson declined to comment on Friday.

These dismissals occur amid a broader personnel restructuring at the bureau as Patel works to reshape the nation's leading federal law enforcement agency.

Last month, five agents and high-ranking executives were known to have been summarily dismissed in a wave of removals that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale.

Among those terminated was Steve Jensen, who helped supervise investigations into the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Another was Brian Driscoll, who served as acting FBI director during the early Trump administration and resisted Justice Department requests for the names of agents who investigated the January 6 events.

Chris Meyer was another dismissal, who had been incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in the investigation of President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Walter Giardina, who was involved in high-profile investigations including the one into Trump adviser Peter Navarro, was also terminated.

A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll, and another dismissed FBI supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleged that Patel communicated his understanding that it was "likely illegal" to fire agents based on cases they worked but claimed he was powerless to prevent it because the White House and Justice Department were determined to remove all agents who had investigated Trump.

At a congressional hearing last week, Patel denied taking orders from the White House regarding terminations and stated that anyone who had been fired failed to meet the FBI's standards.

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