"Over a dozen FBI agents were fired Friday, including ones photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in June 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd, according to the FBI Agents Association and news reports. Some of the agents had been reassigned earlier this year, in what were widely seen as demotions, The Washington Post reported. The agents were sent by President Trump and then-Attorney General Bill Barr to deter protesters from vandalizing federal property in Washington, D.C., in June 2020,"
"According to the DOJ watchdog's 2024 review of Barr's responses to the protests, FBI agents with the Washington Field Office expressed confusion over Barr's requests and said they were not trained on or equipped for responding to civil unrest. Some of the agents involved that day told CNN that they were confronted with protesters and decided to try kneeling to de-escalate, and the protesters moved on."
More than a dozen FBI agents were fired after actions taken during June 2020 protests, including agents photographed kneeling during a racial justice demonstration after George Floyd's killing. Some agents had been reassigned earlier in the year in moves widely seen as demotions. The agents had been deployed to deter vandalism of federal property in Washington, D.C., under orders tied to President Trump and then-Attorney General Bill Barr. A 2024 DOJ watchdog review found Washington Field Office agents confused by Barr's requests and lacking training and equipment for civil unrest. Several agents said they knelt to de-escalate confrontations; an earlier Bureau review under then-Director Christopher Wray found no grounds for discipline. FBI Director Kash Patel opened a new investigation, the FBI Agents Association called the firings violations of due process, and three former senior agents sued alleging improper termination.
#fbi-firings #2020-racial-justice-protests #doj-watchdog-review #bureau-leadership-and-investigations
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