Nationwide — FBI Director Kash Patel has fired agents photographed kneeling during racial justice protests in Washington, D.C., after George Floyd’s death in 2020. The decision has drawn criticism from the FBI Agents Association, which called the move unlawful and demanded a congressional investigation.
According to The Guardian, roughly 20 agents were dismissed, though the exact number remains uncertain. These employees were initially reassigned before being terminated after photos showed them kneeling during demonstrations that erupted following Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
The kneeling gesture sparked debate inside the bureau. Some agents viewed it as an effort to defuse tensions during nationwide protests, while others saw it as an inappropriate political act. Floyd’s death had already triggered widespread outrage and intensified calls for police reform.
On Friday, the FBI Agents Association confirmed that more than a dozen agents, including military veterans with special legal protections, were removed. In a statement, the group urged Congress to investigate and accused Patel of violating due process.
“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents’ association said in a statement. “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.”
The firings are part of Patel’s broader restructuring of the FBI. In recent months, several senior officials were also ousted, including those tied to the January 6 Capitol riot investigation and probes involving former President Donald Trump. Some of these former officials have since filed lawsuits alleging illegal dismissals influenced by political pressure.
Patel, however, denied taking orders from the White House. At a congressional hearing, he stated that anyone fired had failed to meet the bureau’s standards, insisting his decisions were based on performance, not politics.