FBI DEI Policies Under Scrutiny From Conservative Lawmakers

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has caught conservative lawmakers’ attention as it shutters its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives prior to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

The FBI recently decided to shut down its DEI central office prior to President Trump’s inauguration on January 20th. 

FBI DEI initiatives have been subject to harsh criticism from conservative lawmakers, who have pressured private and public agencies to abandon them. 

Recently, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote a damning letter to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray after the New Orleans terror attacks in which she insinuated DEI initiatives may have degraded the FBI’s capacity to prevent such attacks. 

Senator Blackburn cited reports from former FBI agents alleging “the law enforcement and intelligence capabilities of the FBI are degrading because the FBI is no longer hiring ‘the best and the brightest’ candidates.”

The reports further allege FBI recruitment has prioritized meeting DEI quotas and policies rather than talent. 

FBI’s former first-ever Chief Diversity Officer Scott McMillion claimed “diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility is literally within our DNA,” as he rolled out and bolstered FBI recruitment programs focusing on minority-background candidates. 

Such DEI programs continued despite warnings from FBI officials that national security threats were alarmingly high. 

Shortly after conservative pressure and President Trump’s election, however, the FBI began to pivot away from such policies and ultimately closed its DEI offices. 

Conservative lawmakers have demanded records from such offices be preserved for future investigations into their impact on the agency’s effectiveness. 

“We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI Office,” exhorted Trump, adding that it should “never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago.”