Mon Dec 08 19:45:23 UTC 2025: News Article:
Ex-FBI Agents Sue, Claim Trump Admin Fired Them for De-Escalating 2020 Protests
Washington D.C. – Twelve former FBI agents have filed a lawsuit alleging they were wrongfully terminated under the Trump administration for kneeling during racial justice protests in Washington D.C. in 2020. The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court on Monday, claims the agents were targeted as part of a politically motivated “campaign of retribution” for actions perceived as sympathetic to the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death.
The agents maintain that kneeling was a de-escalation tactic in a tense situation, not an endorsement of the protests. They allege that the Trump administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel, was determined to fire them despite an internal FBI review concluding their actions aimed to ease tensions and prevent a potentially deadly confrontation. The lawsuit draws a comparison to the Boston Massacre, suggesting their actions averted a similar tragedy.
The lawsuit further claims that then-President Trump publicly attacked the agents on social media prior to his return to the White House in 2024.
Termination letters accused the agents of “unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality” and the “weaponisation” of the FBI.
This lawsuit adds to growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s history of alleged retribution against perceived political opponents, including federal prosecutors who investigated Trump and a federal employee who displayed an LGBTQ flag.
First Piper 