FBI Director Patel fires about 15 agents for kneeling during 2020 George Floyd protests, reversing predecessor's no-violation finding

On September 26, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired approximately 15–20 FBI agents who had been photographed kneeling during a confrontation with racial justice protesters in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2020 — days after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The agents knelt as a de-escalation tactic; the gesture diffused the confrontation and the crowd moved on. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray reviewed the incident at the time and determined the agents had committed no policy violation. Under Patel, FBI officials reopened the matter earlier in 2025, first reassigning the agents as a demotion before proceeding to termination in late September.

The FBI Agents Association described the firings as unlawful, stating they violated the agents' due process rights. A group of the terminated agents subsequently filed suit against the FBI and Director Patel, alleging the firings were the product of a politically motivated "campaign of retribution" orchestrated by the Trump White House — targeting individuals for a nonviolent act from five years prior that had been reviewed and cleared under a prior director.

The firings follow a broader pattern under Patel of removing career FBI personnel whose past conduct or assignments were deemed politically inconvenient to the administration — including personnel involved in the Mar-a-Lago classified-documents investigation and the 2020 election inquiries. By terminating agents for a cleared, nonviolent act from five years earlier based on its perceived political symbolism, Patel converted the FBI's internal discipline process into a political loyalty screen, with implications for the conduct of the remaining workforce.