The FBI has dismissed more than a dozen agents who were photographed kneeling during a 2020 protest in Washington, D.C., following the death of George Floyd, according to multiple reports.
Sources told the Associated Press and other outlets that roughly 20 agents were terminated after being reassigned in the years since the incident.
The agents had joined demonstrators protesting racial injustice and police violence in the wake of Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, which was captured on video and later led to the murder conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin.
The FBI Agents Association confirmed the firings Friday and called for an independent review of the decision under current FBI Director Kash Patel. A prior internal review, conducted under then-Director Christopher Wray, concluded that the agents had not violated bureau policy by taking a knee during the demonstration.
“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law. But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process,” they said in a statement.
The protest was among many nationwide that followed Floyd’s death. More than a few were violent and involved burning property, injuring police officers, and attacks on opponents.
The photograph of the FBI agents kneeling was captured on June 4, 2020, during a demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue. The image spread quickly online, drawing sharp reactions from social media users, with some critics condemning the agents for participating.
At the time, then–Attorney General William Barr had ordered FBI agents to be deployed nationwide in response to the protests over George Floyd’s death and broader calls against police violence.
Last week, Patel provided an update on the investigation of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, saying the FBI is “pursuing every lead.”
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and charged with Kirk’s murder, but Patel said the FBI is looking into the “possibility of accomplices.”
“We are meticulously investigating theories and questions, including the location from where the shot was taken, the possibility of accomplices, the text message confession and related conversations, Discord chats, the angle of the shot and bullet impact, how the weapon was transported, hand gestures observed as potential ‘signals’ near Charlie at the time of his assassination, and visitors to the alleged shooter’s residence in the hours and days leading up to September 10, 2025,” Patel said in a post on X.
Patel added, “The entire FBI mourns the loss of Charlie Kirk. We will not rest until justice is served, and our investigation into this assassination will continue until every question is answered.”
The online messaging platform Discord confirmed reports that about two hours before Robinson was taken into custody, he posted messages to a small group of friends on the platform.
One message read, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all … It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
Patel addressed the Discord message during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying that the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat” with Robinson.
Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord, “and we’re running them all down. … Every single one.”
“There are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated, and a number yet to be investigated and interrogated, specific to that chat room. So we are very much in our ongoing posture of investigation,” Patel told senators, adding that other people could be involved.
Robinson was charged with several crimes last Tuesday, including aggravated murder. Last week, prosecutors said they would seek the death sentence.
Robinson did not publicly plead guilty on Tuesday. Before his next court date on September 29, the judge told him that the court would give him a lawyer.
