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2h ago

FBI Fires Up to 22 Agents, Including Group Who Kneeled in 2020 Protest

The reported terminations follow a reassessment of a 2020 kneeling episode that an earlier review had found did not violate policy.

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.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on September 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. Patel is facing questions from lawmakers for the second straight day following a contentious hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee where he was criticized for his handling of investigations into the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk and the case related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Federal Bureau Investigation seal is seen at FBI headquarters in Washington, U.S. June 14, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
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)

Overview

  • Multiple outlets report that between about 15 and 22 agents were dismissed, with roughly 15 linked to the Washington, D.C., kneeling incident during the George Floyd protests.
  • Sources say the agents kneeled to defuse tensions with demonstrators rather than to express support for Black Lives Matter.
  • The latest actions followed an inspection division review and legal review by the bureau’s general counsel, and the FBI declined to comment on the firings.
  • Agents involved in the 2020 episode had been reassigned to less-coveted posts earlier this year after the matter was revisited by current leadership.
  • The FBI Agents Association condemned the dismissals as unlawful, and recent leadership changes under Director Kash Patel have already triggered a lawsuit by former senior officials alleging political retribution.