FBI agents who kneeled at Floyd protest sue for wrongful firing

Jimmy Jenkins, Bloomberg News on Dec 8, 2025

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WASHINGTON — A dozen FBI agents sued the Trump administration over their firing in September for having taken a knee during a 2020 demonstration in Washington following the police killing of George Floyd.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation had investigated the incident and concluded there was no wrongdoing by the agents, who explained that they gestured in solidarity with a racial justice protest while they were outnumbered and facing angry taunts, according to the complaint filed Monday in federal court.

The agents claim the decision by FBI Director Kash Patel to terminate them came years later at the urging of President Donald Trump.

“Our clients acted with calm and professionalism to de-escalate a potentially violent encounter with fellow Americans,” said Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group. She called the firings partisan, and a “weaponization of government.”

“The nation is less safe as a result,” she said.

Dohrmann characterized the agents as patriotic, and said they had collectively earned numerous commendations during their tenure at the FBI.

The agents are identified in the suit with John Doe and Jane Doe pseudonyms because of a risk of harm to themselves and their families, according to a statement from Washington Litigation Group.

The complaint alleges the firings violated the agents’ constitutional rights to due process and protection from being targeted over assumptions about their political motivations. They are seeking reinstatement, back pay and preservation of their pensions.

The Department of Justice and FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the termination letters, Patel accused the agents of “unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties.”