Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement after Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to outgoing FBI Director Chris Wray demanding answers about the federal law enforcement agency’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in the wake of New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, accusing the senator of engaging in “hate and bigotry.”
The attorney general, a Democrat whose official biography states he is the son of Haitian immigrants and boasts “a vast background in public service,” accused Blackburn and Republicans who support President-elect Donald Trump of launching “unfounded attacks on immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion – even undermining the FBI as the agency’s dedicated public servants investigate the attack on their fellow Americans ringing in the New Year.”
Arguing that DEI requirements do not result in a “lessening” of the overall requirements to serve in the FBI, the attorney general stated, “Diversity within the FBI and the military is critical to keeping Americans safe.”
He later stated, “The senator’s letter is a disgusting attack on FBI agents of all races. Furthermore, Republicans’ meritless attacks on the FBI, diversity, equity and inclusion and on immigration are dangerous,” before condemning “racist” anti-DEI “rhetoric,” and declaring, “We cannot allow them to separate us!”
In Blackburn’s letter to Wray, which was first published Friday by Fox News Digital, the senator wrote she was “deeply concerned” by the FBI’s commitment to DEI, and whether it impedes the agency from protecting the American people.
Blackburn wrote, “In line with President Biden’s extreme focus on DEI measures, you announced in early 2021 the hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer at the FBI.3 The New Orleans FBI Field Office subsequently held a ‘Diversity Agent Recruiting Event’ on July 17, 2024—only a few months before this horrific terror attack on the city.”
The senator also noted that New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick “is an instructor for the Bureau’s Leadership Training Program, where she teaches a course on ‘bias and diversity.'” Kirkpatrick also worked with the Department of Justice to help the federal government gain authority over the Chicago Police Department.
Despite a recent poll showing a growing number of Americans are opposed to DEI policies and programs, the FBI continues to stress its importance in its recruiting, including on an fbijobs.gov web page that contains the quote by Wray, “The diversity and inclusion of our workforce is something I care deeply about…because the success of our efforts impacts our operations, our culture, and our future.”
Wray announced his resignation from the FBI last month, and Trump has nominated Kash Patel to lead the agency.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn. Background Photo “FBI Building” by Sebmol. CC BY-SA 3.0.