The FBI loves protocols, which is why a new lawsuit from a dozen former special agents is making Washington’s legal corners buzz. They claim the FBI ignored its own sacred rules to uproot officers viewed as politically disloyal.
It starts with a photograph from June 2020. The streets of Washington were filled with outrage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and FBI agents without helmets or shields were backed against the wall of the National Archives. In a split-second decision, they took a knee to de-escalate. The gesture wasn’t activism, though. The employees say it was crisis management that went viral.
The agents have nearly 200 years of law enforcement experience altogether. And they were once praised for disrupting mass shootings, catching spies, etc. But in 2025, those professional accolades fell prey to one photograph. The lawsuit filed this week claims that current FBI Director Kash Patel targeted them for retaliation, and calling it outright political cleansing.
Fired FBI agents file lawsuit against FBI director Kash Patel and DOJ, alleging unlawful retaliationhttps://t.co/jAp3NJ7CEP
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) December 8, 2025
According to the complaint, their supervisory posts were stripped, and a new investigation was opened. But before the inquiry wrapped up, all twelve were fired by the FBI in September 2025. Their dismissal letters accused them of “a lack of impartiality” and contributed to the ‘political weaponization of government.’ But is it any better to fire them for a political vendetta?
Over at CNN, the FBI Agents Association accused Patel of violating due-process protections. Its president, Natalie Bara, issued a letter to lawmakers warning that the recent firings “purposely violated” agency protocols and could create “serious national security risks.” Among the names pushed out were former Acting Director Brian Driscoll and Washington Field Office Assistant Director Steven Jensen. None of them were accused of professional misconduct or given the chance to defend themselves.
The internal review process that Patel promised during his Senate confirmation was also abandoned. Patel is VERY unapologetic. In an interview, he said that anyone involved in the “weaponization” of the FBI (especially those linked to past Donald Trump investigations) should be prepared to pack up their desks and go as “we’re going to take swift action.” And so far, he has.
🚨 BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel has just FIRED the agents who kneeled during the George Floyd riots in 2020, per AP
FINALLY!
Good riddance! Keep cleaning house, @FBIDirectorKash! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k0wLwhiPOj
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 27, 2025
But “swift” is the problem here, as fired agents say the terminations violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights (to free association and due process), and disrupted national security work. They have cited evidence collected in Utah after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and work related to Trump’s order to “Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”
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The agents want their jobs again, along with back pay. But beyond that, has law enforcement turned into a nonstop Congressional hearing? The FBI isn’t commenting, but the courts will.
