Fired FBI agents sue Trump administration, say kneeling during 2020 protests cost them their jobs

Twelve former FBI agents have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging they were unlawfully terminated for kneeling during racial justice protests in Washington DC in 2020. The suit, lodged Monday in federal court, claims their dismissals were part of a “campaign of retribution” driven by political animus after the death of George Floyd sparked mass demonstrations.

The agents say they knelt not as a political statement but to defuse a volatile situation with protesters. The lawsuit argues the gesture helped prevent escalation and may have averted a “deadly confrontation” that could have “rivalled the Boston Massacre in 1770”. A widely circulated photo from the moment shows agents kneeling calmly, not under visible threat.

According to the complaint, Trump publicly attacked the agents on social media before returning to the White House in 2024, and FBI Director Kash Patel pushed to fire them despite an earlier internal review that found the kneeling was intended as de-escalation rather than activism. Nine of the twelve plaintiffs are women.

Their dismissal letters accused them of “unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality” and of “weaponisation” of the FBI, language that critics say mirrors political rhetoric rather than disciplinary norms. The case adds to a growing list of firings reportedly aimed at perceived political opponents, including prosecutors who worked on Trump-related cases and a federal employee disciplined for displaying an LGBTQ flag.

The lawsuit argues the agents were targeted “because of plaintiffs’ use of deescalation with civilians that defendants perceived as opposed to, or otherwise not affiliated with, President Trump.” The plaintiffs seek reinstatement, back pay and damages.