FBI fires agents who knelt during 2020 racial justice protest

The FBI has dismissed a group of agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The bureau had reassigned the agents last spring but has now terminated their employment.

While the exact number dismissed remains unclear, two of the sources said it was roughly 20.

The images in question showed several agents kneeling during one of the demonstrations that erupted nationwide after Floyd’s death, which had been captured on video and sparked widespread outrage and debate over policing and racial injustice. At the time, some within the FBI viewed the kneeling as inappropriate, though others interpreted it as a possible tactic to ease tensions during mass protests.

The FBI Agents Association criticised the move, saying: “As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law. 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 the dismissals.

The firings come amid a sweeping personnel purge at the bureau as Director Patel undertakes a restructuring of the federal law enforcement agency. Last month alone, five agents and senior officials were removed in a wave of dismissals that current and former officials say has fueled declining morale.

Among those ousted was Steve Jensen, who had overseen aspects of the investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Another, Brian Driscoll, briefly served as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration and resisted Justice Department demands to release the names of agents who investigated January 6.

Chris Meyer, who was also removed, had been the subject of false social media rumours linking him to the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Walter Giardina, another dismissed official, had worked on high-profile cases, including the investigation into Trump adviser Peter Navarro.

A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll, and another dismissed supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleges that Patel privately acknowledged he believed it was “likely illegal” to terminate agents based on cases they handled, but claimed he was powerless to stop it because the White House and the Justice Department were determined to remove anyone connected to Trump-related investigations.

At a congressional hearing last week, Patel rejected accusations that he had acted under White House orders, insisting that those who were dismissed failed to meet the FBI’s standards.

By Tamilla Hasanova