WASHINGTON (AP) — According to three individuals familiar with the situation, the FBI has dismissed agents who were seen kneeling during a racial justice demonstration in Washington that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
The agents had been reassigned last spring, but have now been terminated, stated the individuals who wished to remain anonymous while discussing these personnel issues with The Associated Press.
The number of FBI employees fired was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20.
The contentious photographs depicted several agents kneeling at one of the protests that occurred after Floyd’s death in May 2020. The incident, captured on video, sparked widespread outrage and led to a national discussion on policing and racial inequality.
The firings of the agents who knelt come amid a broader personnel purge at the bureau under Director Kash Patel.
Five agents along with high-ranking executives were reportedly discharged abruptly last month, which current and former officials suggest has led to decreased morale within the bureau.
Among those dismissed were Steve Jensen, involved in overseeing investigations related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Another was Brian Driscoll, who acted as director during the early Trump administration and opposed Justice Department requests to disclose the names of agents involved in January 6 investigations. There was also Chris Meyer, who was mistakenly linked on social media to the probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Last week, a lawsuit filed by three of the dismissed agents claimed that Patel knew the firings were “likely illegal” but believed he was compelled to act due to orders from the White House. Patel, however, has rejected the notion of taking directives from the White House regarding these dismissals and stated that those who were fired did not meet the FBI’s performance criteria.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment Friday.
