House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is opening an inquiry into the FBI regarding the agency’s hiring practices, particularly those that involve diversity, equity, and inclusion directives from the Biden administration.
Jordan sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday criticizing the agency for its “hyper-fixation” on DEI as opposed to “qualifications” to attract and retain the best federal law enforcement candidates and officers. Jordan said this has created a climate that puts the public and civil liberties “at risk.”
The chairman pointed to President Joe Biden issuing an executive order announcing the creation of DEI programs within the executive branch on his first day in office, as well as the hiring of Scott McMillion, the FBI’s first chief diversity officer, in April 2021.
“From that time forward, we understand that the FBI has struggled with attracting enough qualified applicants from all desired target groups to sustain its mission,” Jordan wrote. “This is likely due to the FBI re-focusing its recruitment efforts on DEI statistics.”
Jordan referenced an October 2023 report from retired special agents and analysts from the FBI that claimed the capabilities of the agency were “degrading” because the FBI is no longer hiring “the best and the brightest” candidates. Instead, the former agents claimed, the FBI hires candidates who “satisfy the FBI’s priorities to meet Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates.”
The committee is asking Wray to provide the number of FBI agents and professional support employees employed as applicant coordinators or DEI coordinators, all documents that detail rewards or incentives given to FBI senior executive service managers for meeting DEI goals, and all communications regarding the implementation of Biden’s DEI executive orders. Jordan requested the agency provide the information no later than 5 p.m. on May 20.
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This is the latest move by a House Republican to call attention to DEI in federal agencies and inquire as to how the practice is critical to national security. In April, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent a letter to the Defense Department to demand information on whether a DEI hiring freeze has negatively affected the department and hindered officials from responding to foreign conflicts.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FBI for comment.
