These pitiful cowards are a humiliation to the FBI and America. They would also likely display the same weakness and traitorous tendencies in the face of pro-Hamas thugs, for the same stated reason: in order to “de-escalate” potential violence.
They should be counter-sued.
“Former FBI agents fired for kneeling amid 2020 protests sue Patel, Bondi,” by Cheyanne M. Daniels, Politico, December 8, 2025:
Former FBI agents are suing bureau head Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging that they were unjustly fired for kneeling during a racial justice protest in 2020.
The suit, filed on Monday by the Washington Litigation Group on behalf of the 12 agents, names Patel, Bondi, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Executive Office of the President as defendants responsible for the agents’ “unlawful terminations.”
The defendants violated the agents’ First and Fifth Amendment rights after internal reviews by the FBI cleared of wrongdoing the agents, who at one protest “avoided triggering violence by assuming a kneeling posture associated with de-escalations between law enforcement officers and their communities,” the complaint asserts.
The lawsuit alleges that almost immediately upon becoming director of the bureau, Patel began working to terminate all agents that had kneeled on June 4, 2020 — and it goes so far as to argue that the agents would not have been fired had they had the same perceived political affiliations as those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, told POLITICO that the defendants are “targeting these patriotic and highly skilled FBI agents for purely partisan reasons.”
“These partisan firings are the true weaponization of government. The nation is less safe as a result,” she added.
According to the suit, the agents were patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2020, in response to civil unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd just 10 days earlier. The agents were allegedly confronted by a mob that included “hostile” individuals and young children. In an effort to de-escalate the situation, the lawsuit states, the agents took a knee….
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Actually, in 2020, given the mob mentality of the people around them, as well as the decrepit leadership of Chris Wray, I don’t completely blame the FBI agents who knelt. That said, I don’t oppose their firing either, at least as a salutary lesson to future agents who think groveling is the best strategy
Their best approach would be to accept their severances, and start exploring other lines of work
40 rounds says
FBI agents? Looks more like a girl scout troop
rick says
An FBI agent should know better. Just like a US serviceman in uniform kneeling before a foreign flag. Just don’t do that. He had too much “Woke-DEI” blood in him.
Taffy says
The Washington Litigation Group and these former FBI agents have a steep uphill battle since the law is not with them. If they were fired because of similar conduct or speech when they were not on the job, their case would be solid, But even governmental employers have wide hiring/firing discretion for acts done on the job, even if those acts would be covered by the First Amendment if they were done off the job.
That notwithstanding, they may win at the federal district court level, if the case gets assigned to one of the off-his-rocker judges such as Boasberg, who rules according to whim and not in accordance with the law, unless of course the law is get Trump! Maybe Just maybe, the DC Circuit Court will reverse an adverse decision. But, if not, the US Supreme Court definitely will. What a waste of resources this clown fest will turn into.
WPM says
Lay down with dogs wake up with fleas. When you are a government agent you reflect and represent the government .I f you knee to appease violent protestors at work in uniform you are reflecting badly at your job ,you are breaking your oath. The FBI Chris Wray should face criminal charges for the way he handle the BLM riots and not going after the leaders of that terror group. The way he put agents into the Jan 6 protest to advance a riot in progress to encourage more destruction and violence .It going to take at least 20 years to clean up the alphabet agencies hopefully Vance and then someone like Rubio are up to the job after Trumps term. The years 2020 -2024 in America seems like a bad dream thanks to democrats appeasing illegal aliens ,terrorist ,criminals , fake science (climate change scare tactics ,and the China flu lies) and the rainbow mafia .Can anyone name one positive thing the Biden Harris administration did or government agencies under them did??
Troybeam says
They were wrong, they got fired. They need to stfu and stop whining.
Thinker1 says
Pandering to thugs, violent rioters, and entitled people was a terrible choice, and no doubt led to more violence.
Major Tom says
We had the same moral cowardice in Canada……..Uniforms kneeling in submission………
Condojamie says
So according to these agents, their fellow agents in the picture not kneeling were instigating the crowd?
Rarely says
Apparently this occurred just 10 days after the Floyd death. I doubt that the Black Lives Matter protests were seen, at that time, as little more than an expression of grief and outrage at Floyd’s murder. In that case appeasing the crowd would be preferable to letting things bet out of hand.
gravenimage says
Former FBI agents fired for kneeling to BLM in 2020 protests sue Patel, claim they de-escalated violence
…………………………………………….
In that case I suppose that just letting criminals do whatever they want is also “de-escalating violence”?