Washington DC - The FBI reassigned FBI agents who took a knee during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC and demoted at least four of them.

The senior agents, who held positions in counterintelligence, counterterrorism and cybercrimes, were not provided with an explanation for their transfers, but they suspect it had something to do with a photograph showing them kneeling in 2020, the Washington Post reported.

Colleagues said taking the knee was an attempt to peacefully deescalate the situation, likely because FBI agents are not trained for riot control.

"Those agents were not ever trained to be in that situation," one former FBI agent told the Washington Post. "Riot control is not our mission. We are trained to de-escalate."

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CNN said that their reassignment is likely part of FBI Director Kash Patel's move to carry out President Donald Trump's campaign against the racial justice movement, which has also included threatening Washington DC into painting over a famous "Black Lives Matter" mural.

A former FBI official warned that by demoting the agents, Patel was bypassing the bureau's regular disciplinary processes.

"This notion that the bureau would go after these people, it’s just disgusting," the agent claimed. "They were being asked to be police officers... In no way were they making a political statement."