Rep. Gaetz inquires if FBI agents were given incentives for kneeling during the 2020 riots.

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

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

Gaetz suggests that one of the “at least six agents” captured on video that day, “kneeling in supplication” before BLM protesters, may have been promoted for her actions. Gaetz believes the agents may have knelt to “placate the mob.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital on June 28, Gaetz reveals that he has 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 portrays as a “surrender to people who at times were violent.”

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 praises the courage and service of the FBI agents who were “on the line” protecting the public and preventing vandalism.

But Gaetz singles out one agent in particular: Sarah Linden. He questions and investigates 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,” writes Gaetz, who serves on the House Armed Services and House Judiciary committees.

Concerns Over FBI Agents’ Support for Violence

Gaetz gives Wray a deadline of July 7 to provide 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 asks. “If so, when did this position become effective?”

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

Gaetz also asks Wray whether the FBI has any policies or procedures in place to ensure