Particle.news
Download on the App Store
7 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

FBI Fires Up to 20 Agents, Most Tied to 2020 Kneeling Incident

The terminations followed an internal inspection review evaluated by the general counsel, with the bureau declining public comment.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (officers take a knee with demonstrators, as they march on Pennsylvania Ave. on Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington, during a protest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his first oversight hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Image
Image

Overview

  • Two people briefed on the matter said the bureau dismissed as many as 20 agents, roughly 15 connected to the Washington, D.C., kneeling photo.
  • The actions came after an inspection-division review whose recommendations were evaluated by the FBI general counsel’s office.
  • The FBI declined to comment on the terminations or to detail the specific grounds for dismissal.
  • Leadership under Christopher Wray had previously reviewed the 2020 episode and found no policy violation given its de-escalation context.
  • Agents linked to the incident were reassigned to less coveted roles earlier this year as the bureau quietly revisited protest-era conduct.