The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reassigned agents who took a knee with demonstrators during nationwide protests following George Floyd’s killing, according to a report.
The agents were moved to less desirable roles without explanation—reassignments widely perceived within the bureau as demotions, according to CNN.
The move comes amid a shakeup of the FBI under Director Kash Patel and President Donald Trump‘s broader push to overhaul the government during his second administration. Trump has urged Patel to rid the bureau of what he deems “woke” culture.
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“This notion that the bureau would go after these people, it’s just disgusting,” a former FBI official told CNN, adding that these sorts of internal changes typically take months or more than a year to process.
The FBI officers were photographed kneeling before Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters during a demonstration on June 4, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Floyd, an African-American man, died in Minneapolis when police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck as Floyd complained that he couldn’t breathe.
Chauvin was ultimately convicted of Floyd’s murder.
Floyd’s killing on May 25, 2020, sparked global outrage and weeks of protests against police brutality and racial injustice. The agents photographed kneeling had been assigned to protect federal monuments and buildings when they were confronted by demonstrators, according to CNN, with the agents deciding to kneel in an attempt to de-escalate any potential confrontation.
Their actions caused outrage within the FBI at the time, according to CNN. Some of the agents photographed were ostracized and personally attacked by fellow agents, current and former officials revealed.
Following an internal review, the agents were not found to be in violation of policy, current and former officials told the network. The FBI declined to comment to CNN, citing a policy of not discussing personnel matters.
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz claimed in 2023 that some of the agents who kneeled received commendations from FBI executive management. Outraged, he sent a letter to then-FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding answers.
“Many FBI personnel we were trusting to be on the front lines were photographed kneeling in surrender to people who at times were violent,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital at the time.
“To climb the ladder in federal employment, you shouldn’t have to shimmy up the woke totem pole,” Gaetz wrote. He probed Wray “about how various personnel engaged in these acts of supplication were then given plum professional opportunities.”
The “FBI’s behavior is demoralizing” to law enforcement he said, adding that “it showcases a real misunderstanding of the purpose of law enforcement.”
Trump tapped Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, but Gaetz ultimately withdrew from consideration amid a bombshell House Ethics report alleging serious misconduct which threatened to overshadow confirmation hearings.
Politico reported on Jan. 31 that Trump‘s shakeup of the FBI has reached deep into the bureau’s leadership ranks, affecting senior officials at some of its largest field offices as well as top managers at FBI headquarters in Washington.
Demotions and reassignments appear to be targeting leaders and agents involved in investigations most closely linked to the president, the publication reported, citing three people who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
