FBI fires agents seen kneeling in iconic photo during George Floyd protests five years ago
By Evan Perez
September 27, 2025
The FBI has fired 15 agents associated with a 2020 incident in which agents were photographed kneeling with demonstrators at the height of protests over the police killing of George Floyd, according to the agents association.
The latest round of dismissals at the bureau came at the end of a monthslong review targeting 15 agents who were associated with the kneeling incident, according to one person briefed on the matter. Some agents who were present at the incident but didn’t kneel were not fired, the source said.
The FBI Agents Association told CNN that 15 agents were dismissed and criticized FBI Director Kash Patel’s leadership, saying the dismissals “violate the due process rights” of the agents.
“Patel’s dangerous new pattern of actions are weakening the Bureau because they eliminate valuable expertise and damage trust between leadership and the workforce, and make it harder to recruit and retain skilled agents — ultimately putting our nation at greater risk,” the organization said in a statement Friday night.
The FBI declined to comment on the firings.…
Federal Bureau of Investigation (officers take a knee with demonstrators, as they march on Pennsylvania Ave. on Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington, during a protest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
By Evan Perez
September 27, 2025
The FBI has fired 15 agents associated with a 2020 incident in which agents were photographed kneeling with demonstrators at the height of protests over the police killing of George Floyd, according to the agents association.
The latest round of dismissals at the bureau came at the end of a monthslong review targeting 15 agents who were associated with the kneeling incident, according to one person briefed on the matter. Some agents who were present at the incident but didn’t kneel were not fired, the source said.
The FBI Agents Association told CNN that 15 agents were dismissed and criticized FBI Director Kash Patel’s leadership, saying the dismissals “violate the due process rights” of the agents.
“Patel’s dangerous new pattern of actions are weakening the Bureau because they eliminate valuable expertise and damage trust between leadership and the workforce, and make it harder to recruit and retain skilled agents — ultimately putting our nation at greater risk,” the organization said in a statement Friday night.
The FBI declined to comment on the firings.…
Federal Bureau of Investigation (officers take a knee with demonstrators, as they march on Pennsylvania Ave. on Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington, during a protest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
