A dozen FBI agents are suing the Bureau and Justice Department leaders, claiming they were unlawfully fired for kneeling during racial justice protests in 2020 in connection to the police killing of George Floyd.

The wrongful termination suit, filed on Monday, Dec. 8, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges the former agents − which include three unnamed men and nine women − said their terminations were ordered by President Donald Trump's administration.

It also alleges FBI Director Kash Patel, named a defendant in the suit, pushed to remove them from their posts as soon as he was confirmed.

In addition to Patel and the Bureau, the suit also names Attorney General Pam Bondi as a defendant.

Floyd, a 46-year-old security guard from Minnesota, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking sometimes violent protests across the country after footage emerged of him pleading for air as a police officer kneeled on his neck. One of the four officers involved was charged and convicted of murder.

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The lawsuit comes in the wake of senior FBI leaders in September, including former Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, also filing a lawsuit over their terminations, saying they were fired in a "campaign of retribution."

According to the Dec. 8 lawsuit, the agents “made a considered tactical decision” by getting on their knees to kneel during the June 4, 2020, protest near the National Archives in Washington, D.C., in an effort to de-escalate a mob that confronted police and FBI agents.

"You have demonstrated unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties, leading to the political weaponization of government," the suit reads Patel wrote in a letter to the fired agents after announcing their September termination.

But the plaintiffs say material from internal investigations showed differently. The agents alleged they were fired for deescalating a confrontation with protesters the Trump administration "perceived as opposed to, or otherwise not affiliated with, President Trump," the lawsuit reads.

The White House referred USA TODAY to the FBI for comment. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation, Reuters reported. The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit seeks the agents' reinstatement to their former posts, a jury trial and additional relief and damage.

This story has been updated to add new information. Contributing: Reuters.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI agents fired for taking the knee sue over termination

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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