GOP Lawmaker Asks FBI Director Point Blank If DEI Hiring Practices Have 'Hampered' Security

2 months ago

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing held last week, Rep. Michael Rulli (R-OH) questioned FBI Director Chris Wray about DEI hiring.

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Transcript

00:00someone from Ohio is recognized. Well, once again, as Congressman Frye said, we want to thank you for

00:05your time and a lot more information today than Monday. So thank you for that. I just have a

00:10handful of questions. I would love to have just a simple yes or no so we could get done with this.

00:16So on day one, President Biden issued an executive order mandating DEI programs in the executive

00:22branch. You responded by hiring FBI's first ever chief diversity officer. You're even on the

00:28Bureau's website quoting saying that diversity and inclusion of the workforce is something I

00:33care deeply about because the success of our efforts impacts our operations, our culture,

00:39and our future. End of quote. So Director, just a simple yes or no, do you still find DEI hiring

00:45practices to be central to the FBI's operations, cultures, and future?

00:50I believe that diversity is an important part, is a core value of a high-performing organization.

00:57Do you have any concerns that our homeland security efforts will be hampered if the FBI

01:02continues to use DEI as a primary hiring measure?

01:08I don't believe that we use DEI as a primary hiring metric. I would say that we have not

01:14lowered our standards. Yes or no, please. Let me, if I could finish. It's not a yes or no question.

01:21We have not lowered our standards and the facts back that up. Are you aware of 112 page report

01:27compiled by senior agents and analysts which stated quote, if the current trajectory of the

01:32FBI special agent recruitment and selection continues, using DEI as the primary and sole

01:39measure of our homeland security efforts will be significantly hampered. Do you know about that

01:44112 page report? I'm aware of a report from a number of anonymous former employees. Thank you.

01:51Do you agree that protecting the former president falls under the umbrella of homeland security?

01:58Well, protecting the former president, the physical security, the protective detail on

02:03the former president is the province of the Secret Service, which is part of the

02:07Department of Homeland Security. It is my understanding that historically the FBI had

02:12100,000 applications for special agents on file at any given time of the year.

02:17So talking about slipping recruitment, are you aware that on February of 2024,

02:22a letter from the FBI's assistant director for training division, which reported the FBI only

02:27received an estimated 48,000 applications over a two year period? I don't know if we're comparing

02:36Apple to Apple. What I can tell you is that in the time that I've been FBI director,

02:41the number of Americans applying to be special agent has gone up dramatically

02:46to the tune of in some cases, double or triple the pace. If I could finish, sir, if I could finish,

02:52please, to a rate that is higher, you'd have to go back about a decade or so to find the number

02:57of Americans applying to be special agents that are currently applying. Okay. So for the record,

03:02the 48,000 is probably wrong then in your eyes. I don't know. I haven't, I don't have the letter

03:06in front of me, but what I'm not sure of is that we're comparing Apple to Apple in terms of time

03:11periods and everything else. In advance of the Trump shooting, United States Secret Service

03:15special agent in charge, Tim Burke reportedly told law enforcement partners that NATO summit

03:20in Washington, D.C. limited his resources available to the Trump rally. The service

03:26has similar DEI hiring aims and failed their zero fail mission to protect president Trump.

03:32Director Cheadle has since stepped down. Could the hyper fixation on hitting Biden administration's

03:38imposed DEI rules by causing the FBI and the federal law enforcement agencies to not only

03:44miss their prime candidates, but also potential threats. Well, I can't speak to secret services

03:51hiring practice. What I can tell you is that in my view, diversity, like everything else

03:56is something that has to be done in the right way. Just like everything else, there's a right way

03:59and a wrong way to achieve it. I think we can and have achieved improvements in diversity and at the

04:06same time, not lowered our standards. And I think part of the reason we've been able to do that

04:11is because of the encouraging increase, increase in the number of Americans applying to be

04:16special agents. The investigation to the planning of pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC headquarters has

04:20been going on for over three and a half years and will soon have lasted longer than the Biden

04:25presidency. I look forward to you proving yourselves because we haven't received any

04:29update right now on the Trump shooting since July 15th. And the people really need that.

04:34Can the public expect a more transparent and timely investigation to the attempted assassination

04:40of former president Trump? I've been testifying here all day about the investigation into former

04:49attempted assassination of former president Trump. And we've done multiple briefings and

04:53I've answered multiple questions. We appreciate that because that's what you were asking.

04:57Well, it just seems like there hasn't been a press conference to the people to go through

05:00all the different details that were already presented today. And I'll just leave you with

05:04one final question. The government is not doing their job. Do you feel as the director that

05:11perhaps like not only the FBI, but the Secret Service needs to have a complete reconstruction?

05:17Do you think it's still put together the way that could best do its job?

05:22The FBI that I see every single day, having visited all 56 of our field offices, at least

05:29twice, many of them three times. The FBI that I see engaging with state and local law enforcement

05:35from all 50 states that I hear about from prosecutors, judges, business leaders,

05:40community leaders, foreign partners, is an FBI that is respected, trusted, appreciated,

05:48and that is there for people when they need them the most. That is the FBI that I see.

05:52And I'm very proud to be a part of them.

05:55Any comment on the other agencies?

05:58I'm not going to comment on other agencies.

06:00Appreciate your time, sir. Yield back to the chair.

GOP Lawmaker Asks FBI Director Point Blank If DEI Hiring Practices Have 'Hampered' Security

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