Rep. Matt Gaetz Asks FBI Whether Agents Were Rewarded for Kneeling During 2020 Riots

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) speaks during a hearing before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government of the House Judiciary Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 18, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is demanding answers from the FBI regarding agents who knelt before Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Washington during riots in 2020.

On June 27, Gaetz sent a letter (pdf) to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for information related to the conduct of FBI agents on duty in Washington on June 4, 2020, during what the congressman described as “seditious riots” in the nation’s capital.

Gaetz suggested that one of “at least six agents” who were captured on video that day ”kneeling in supplication“ before BLM protesters may have received a promotion for her actions. Gaetz stated that the agents possibly knelt to ”placate the mob.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital on June 28, Gaetz said that he heard from sources, including a whistleblower, that more than one agent was rewarded with “plum personnel opportunities and promotions and advancements” for kneeling, an act that he also portrayed as a “surrender to people who at times were violent.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, on Jan. 26, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The disruption in Washington, which lasted several days, was a segment of the wave of protesting and rioting rolling across the nation following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020.

In his letter to Wray, Gaetz praised the courage and service of the FBI agents who were “on the line” protecting the public and preventing vandalism.

But Gaetz singled out one agent in particular: Sarah Linden. He queried and dug into his suspicion that Linden may have been rewarded for her appeal to the alleged lawbreakers participating in riots.

“Attached is a photograph believed to be Sarah Linden, expressing her support for these seditious riots that caused so much destruction,” wrote Gaetz, who serves on the House Armed Services and House Judiciary committees.

Concerns Over FBI Agents’ Support for Violence

Gaetz gave Wray a deadline of July 7 to furnish the congressman’s office with answers to a series of questions.

“Is Sarah Linden currently the Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Criminal Division within the Washington Field Office?” he asked. “If so, when did this position become effective?”

Gaetz wanted to know if the bureau knew that Linden “expressed support for the attacks on FBI and other federal personnel when it effectuated the promotion.”

Gaetz also asked Wray whether the FBI has any policies or procedures in place to ensure there are no career promotions for individuals who express support for organizations and movements that seek the violent overthrow of the U.S. government.

Earlier in the letter, before addressing the conduct of Linden and other agents, Gaetz provided an account of physical assaults on law enforcement and acts of vandalism in the capital during the period of national unrest.

“On May 29, 2020, in Washington D.C. alone, violent protestors threw rocks, urine, and alcohol at United States Secret Service Agents, injuring over 60 of them,” wrote Gaetz.

“Some protestors also scaled the barriers to the White House and Department of the Treasury complex. This shameful and unprecedented violence took place over several days, and included the arson attack on St. John’s Episcopal Church adjacent to the White House.”

In a statement to The Epoch Times, the FBI confirmed it had received the letter.

“While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, promotions in the FBI are competitive and based on merit,” the agency said.