Another day, and another lawsuit has been filed against the Trump administration.
This time, it is not Donald Trump specifically in the crosshairs, but rather FBI Director Kash Patel.
A group of agents who were dismissed from their jobs for having been photographed kneeling during the George Floyd riots in 2020 have filed suit for wrongful termination.
During the protests that turned into rioting during the summer of 2020 over the death of Floyd, pictures were flying around the internet of police officers and federal agents taking a knee.
In Flint Township, Michigan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson told protesters, “We wanna be with you all, for real.” He then marched with the protesters.
This was something we saw, especially in blue cities, and it was also happening with federal agents.
One group of FBI agents was captured on camera kneeling, and the images would quickly go viral, ultimately costing the government employees their jobs.
I remember when the pictures first surfaced, and I could not believe that the agents were not immediately disciplined or fired for their actions.
I spoke to my contacts in the FBI, and they were outraged over this behavior.
That was rectified after Patel took the helm of the FBI, as he did eventually fire the agents in what was part of a massive purge of individuals the new director believed had lost their way in terms of the overall mission of the agency.
The agents then filed suit, claiming their actions were reported to and approved by then-Director Christopher Wray.
The agents claim they had met with Wray and that he told them “he understood Plaintiffs had de-escalated a dangerous situation and expressed that he was glad Plaintiffs had come back from the deployment safely.”
They were also reportedly told by then-Deputy Director David Bowditch that they would, however, face disciplinary measures for their actions, which, technically, were a violation of the Hatch Act, for having participated in political activities.
The group of agents is now suing the FBI, Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi for allegedly being “unlawfully terminated” in a violation of their First and Fifth Amendment rights. In all, a dozen agents were fired after an internal investigation was conducted following Patel's assumption of leadership. There are nine women and three men named as plaintiffs in the suit.
I have seen the pictures of these agents engaged in the conduct at issue, and I am not buying the “de-escalation angle,” but I am basing that take just from the images alone. I am sure I will have a much more informed opinion as more details make their way into the public record.
