The FBI decided to close its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office in December of last year, right after Donald Trump won the election. Trump has asked the FBI to keep all records related to this office. The FBI said it would officially close the DEI office by December 2024, but they didn’t explain why they made this choice.
Trump’s team promised to reduce DEI programs when he became the president. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “We need to keep all the records of the closing DEI office. It should have never been started, and it should’ve closed a long time ago. Why is it closing just one day before the new president takes over? It’s because of CORRUPTION!”
Many Republicans criticized the FBI after a terror attack in New Orleans because they think the FBI was more focused on DEI than on catching criminals. Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee asked why the FBI was even involved in DEI in the first place. She believes the FBI should concentrate on catching bad guys instead of trying to win “participation trophies.” Blackburn also wrote to the FBI’s director, Christopher Wray, expressing her concerns that the FBI was hiring less qualified people just to meet DEI goals.
She stated that older FBI agents believe the agency is becoming less effective because it’s not hiring the best candidates anymore. Blackburn warned, “Your focus on DEI is putting our nation’s safety at risk.” She pointed out that people feel more unsafe after events like the January 1 terror attack, and she thinks the FBI’s choice to prioritize diversity over skill is a big reason why.
Christopher Wray plans to leave the FBI when Trump takes office on January 20. Trump has chosen Kash Patel, a current national security official, to lead the FBI, but the Senate needs to approve him first.
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