FBI fires agents photographed kneeling during 2020 BLM protests: Reports

The FBI on Friday reportedly fired as many as 20 agents who were seen kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2020, sources told CNN and the Associated Press.

The bureau reassigned the agents in May in what was viewed as demotions, but has since reportedly fired at least 15 of them. The protest was over the killing of George Floyd that sparked nationwide protests.

Floyd, a black male, died during an arrest in Minnesota, when then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a white male, knelt on his neck. Chauvin was found guilty in 2021 of murdering Floyd.

The agents have not spoken about the firings so far, and the bureau has declined to comment, but some of the agents claimed earlier that they had knelt in order to deescalate tensions. 

The agents had been assigned to protect federal monuments and buildings.

Five other agents and top-level executives were fired as part of a sweep of the bureau last month, including former acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, who allegedly declined to present the names of agents who investigated the Jan. 6 riot, per AP. 

The firings come after President Donald Trump promised 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.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.