FBI agents fired after kneeling during 2020 BLM protest sue to get their jobs back
A group of twelve former FBI agents—seven women and five men—has filed a lawsuit seeking to regain their positions after they were dismissed earlier this year. The agents were photographed kneeling at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2020, the day many people rallied in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. In the court filing, the plaintiffs claim they were “unlawfully terminated” by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel on the grounds that their First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated.
The lawsuit describes the agents as “highly trained counterintelligence and counterterrorism Special Agents.” It argues that while the protest was surrounded by hostile crowds, the agents’ decision to kneel was a calculated tactical move aimed at preventing violence and preserving life. The agents assert they were not provided with protective gear or non‑lethal crowd‑control tools, yet their presence and restraint kept the situation from turning deadly. Because of that decision, no firearms were fired, and the march continued without further escalation.
After President Trump took office in January 2021, the suit says White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pushed for “summary firings” of agents who had participated in the protest. Following Kash Patel’s confirmation as FBI director on February 21, at least four of the female agents were reassigned from senior posts within the bureau.
The agents were officially dismissed on September 26 for “unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties, leading to the political weaponization of government.” The lawsuit notes that the internal investigation into their conduct was still underway at the time of the termination, and the defendants have not been able to provide the agents with a chance to respond or to be reinstated.
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