WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, three people familiar with the matter said Friday.
The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20.
The AP is using anonymous sourcing to provide information for this story.
Click here to hear Washington Bureau Chief Anna Johnson explain AP’s policy on the use of anonymous sources.
The kneeling had angered some in the FBI but was also understood as a possible de-escalation tactic during a period of protests.
The FBI Agents Association confirmed in a statement late Friday that more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and condemned the move as unlawful.
Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration and resisted Justice Department demands to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6. »
![image for Queen Elizabeth II hosts the Obamas in 2011 at a Buckingham Palace state dinner [Getty]](3774d007-ea7f-53ff-8fcc-695ad43097c3_thumb.jpg)
