Leaders of the Federal Bureau of Investigation fired more than a dozen agents who kneeled amid Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2020 . Many of the agents had already been demoted or put on administrative leave.

One source told CBS News that the termination letter to the agents cited their alleged "lack of judgement" in their actions. The agents had been photographed kneeling after encountering protestors during the demonstrations that followed George Floyd's death in May 2020. The kneeling had angered some in the FBI, but was also understood as a possible de-escalation tactic, the Associated Press reported.

The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people told the Associated Press it was roughly 20.

The FBI Agents A

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