The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has dismissed about 20 agents, including at least 15 linked to a 2020 incident where FBI officers were photographed kneeling alongside demonstrators during nationwide protests over the k+lling of George Floyd.
The dismissals followed a review conducted by the FBI’s inspection division and vetted by the bureau’s general counsel’s office, sources told CNN. The FBI has declined to comment on the matter.
In response, the FBI Agents Association condemned the decision, accusing Director Kash Patel of poor leadership and insisting the move vi%lated the due process rights of the affected agents.
The kneeling gesture in Washington, D.C., quickly drew backlash within the bureau and in conservative circles, despite an earlier review under then-Director Christopher Wray, which concluded the act did not breach FBI policy.
However, current leadership reopened the case earlier this year, reassigning some of the agents to lower-profile roles before ultimately deciding to terminate them.
Friday’s purge is seen as part of a broader effort by the bureau’s new leadership to eliminate what former President Donald Trump has described as “woke” and politicized elements within the agency.
