FBI agents reassigned after kneeling during George Floyd protest: report

FBI agents have reportedly been reassigned after kneeling during a 2020 George Floyd protest in Washington, D.C.

The reassignments occurred without explanation and are viewed as demotions, according to anonymous sources, CNN reported Wednesday.

The FBI declined to comment to CNN on personnel matters, and affected agents didn't respond to requests for comment.

The reassigned FBI agents knelt during a June 2020 protest in the capital following the death of George Floyd, with some agents saying they knelt to deescalate tensions.

Floyd died following his arrest a month earlier in Minneapolis, during which police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. The incident sparked protests across the country. Chauvin was found guilty in 2021 of murdering Floyd. The Black Lives Matter movement dates back to 2013 but became more known and influential after the death of Floyd, a black male. 

A former FBI official told CNN that the bureau is bypassing its normal disciplinary process in its punishment of the agents.

“This notion that the bureau would go after these people, it’s just disgusting,” the former FBI official said.

The reassignments follow President Trump's promise to weed out politicized personnel within the bureau.

The Department of Justice is reviewing the conduct of more than 1,500 agents associated with politicized cases that targeted Trump.