"WASHINGTON -- 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 bureau had reassigned the agents last spring but has since fired them, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press."
"The number of FBI employees fired was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20. The photographs at issue showed a group of agents taking a knee during one of the demonstrations following the May 2020 killing of Floyd, a death that sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw video of his arrest. It led to a national reckoning over policing and racial injustice."
"The firings of the agents who knelt come amid a broader personnel purge at the bureau under Director Kash Patel. Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale. One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol."
The FBI fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington following George Floyd's 2020 death. The bureau had reassigned the agents last spring but later terminated their employment, and roughly 20 employees were reported fired. The photographs showed agents taking a knee during demonstrations after Floyd's killing, which sparked nationwide protests and a reckoning over policing and racial injustice. The firings occurred amid a broader personnel purge under Director Kash Patel, including last month's summary dismissals of agents and top executives that officials say hurt morale. A lawsuit by three fired agents alleges Patel knew the firings were likely illegal but carried them out under White House order.
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