FBI Fires More Than a Dozen Agents Who Knelt During 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests
The decision to fire agents who knelt during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Washington, D.C., comes at a time when the FBI itself is navigating deep internal and external pressures. The summer of 2020 saw the largest wave of protests in a generation, with demonstrators flooding the streets of American cities to demand accountability for police violence. In D.C., tensions were especially high as federal agents, including FBI personnel, were deployed to reinforce security near the White House.
It was in this environment that several FBI agents were photographed taking a knee a gesture already emblematic of the nationwide call for racial justice. The photos quickly circulated online, sparking fierce debate. Critics inside the Bureau argued that the agents compromised the FBI’s image of impartiality, turning an act of empathy into a perceived act of partisanship. Supporters countered that kneeling was not an endorsement of a political movement, but a human response to a volatile moment and an effective tactic for calming escalating confrontations.
The Bureau’s leadership, however, saw the act differently. According to CBS News, termination letters accused the agents of demonstrating “a lack of judgment,” undermining both professionalism and the FBI’s code of conduct.
The firings are not isolated. They come amid a sweeping personnel overhaul within the FBI under Director Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official appointed to lead the Bureau. In recent months, Patel has overseen the abrupt removal of senior agents and executives, a purge that current and former officials say is eroding morale and weakening institutional knowledge.
Among those dismissed were high-profile figures such as Steve Jensen, who oversaw parts of the investigation into the January 6th Capitol riot, and Brian Driscoll, a former acting FBI director known for resisting pressure to expose the identities of agents involved in politically sensitive cases. Others, including Chris Meyer and Walter Giardina, were associated with investigations touching on former President Donald Trump or his allies.
A lawsuit filed by several of the fired officials alleges that Patel himself acknowledged the firings might be illegal but claimed he could not resist pressure from the White House and Justice Department to remove agents connected to Trump-related investigations. Patel has denied those allegations, testifying before Congress that he acted independently and only dismissed personnel who failed to meet FBI standards.
The FBI Agents Association has taken an unusually public stance in response to Patel’s actions. Historically reluctant to confront Bureau leadership so directly, the group has now accused Patel of jeopardizing national security by destabilizing the workforce.
“Every day, FBI agents put their lives on the line,” the FBIAA said in its statement. “When leadership disregards due process and retaliates against agents for their actions in tense, unpredictable environments, it sends a chilling message: loyalty to politics, not the law, is the new standard.”
The Association has urged Congress to investigate Patel’s conduct and warned that the Bureau risks losing not only institutional knowledge but also public trust.
The controversy underscores the challenges facing the FBI as it balances its public role during highly politicized moments. In 2020, the kneeling agents found themselves caught between the Bureau’s strict culture of neutrality and a society demanding visible empathy from those in positions of power. Their firings, years later, reflect not only internal politics but also the continued influence of partisan battles on the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
For many inside the FBI, the question now is less about kneeling and more about what kind of Bureau Patel is building one that prioritizes loyalty and optics, or one that maintains the principles of independence and due process.
As lawsuits wind through the courts and Congress weighs whether to step in, the dismissals have become a test case for the Bureau’s future: whether it can remain an impartial investigative body or whether, in this polarized moment, even its rank and file will be judged through a political lens.
“Leaders uphold the law they don’t repeatedly break it,” the FBIAA said. “Patel’s dangerous new pattern of purges is weakening the Bureau, eroding trust, and putting our nation at greater risk.”
The group accused Patel of bypassing due process and violating agents’ constitutional rights.
The kneeling firings come as Patel continues a sweeping shake-up at the FBI. Last month, at least five senior officials were abruptly removed, a move that insiders say has cratered morale.
Among those ousted:
• Steve Jensen, overseer of January 6th riot investigations.
• Brian Driscoll, former acting FBI director who resisted DOJ pressure to name Jan. 6 investigators.
• Chris Meyer, wrongly linked online to the Mar-a-Lago documents probe.
• Walter Giardina, tied to high-profile cases including Trump adviser Peter Navarro.
Several dismissed officials including Jensen, Driscoll, and supervisor Spencer Evans have filed a lawsuit alleging Patel admitted the firings were “likely illegal,” but claimed he could not stop them because of pressure from the White House and Justice Department.
Patel denied the accusation at a congressional hearing, insisting:
“Anyone who was fired simply failed to meet the Bureau’s standards.”
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