On May 15, John Durham's report detailed how senior leaders at the FBI either manufactured evidence or purposely ignored established protocols to pursue the solely political Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump-Russia “collusion.”
On May 18, three FBI whistleblowers, including a combat veteran and a decorated Marine FBI professional-support employee, laid bare in House testimony the bureau’s retaliation against them after they came forward to describe politically partisan decision-making and the weaponization of the agency.
In less than a week, the FBI went from deeply scarred to burned beyond recognition, a former FBI supervisory special agent wrote in a May 19 op-ed.
"The FBI that agents like me were once so proud to be a part of is gone. It’s been destroyed by wokeness and outright politicization," James A. Gagliano wrote for the New York Post.
Gagliano noted that he was not surprised that recent polling showed just 40% of Americans believe FBI agents are fair.
"It comes down to this: The drift away from core FBI tenets and its embrace of wokeness and politics has compromised its mission and sacrificed public trust," Gagliano wrote.
"The mythologized image of the 'G-Man" had nothing to do with skin tone or gender but reflected the single standard of excellence and adherence to our enduring motto: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity," Gagliano continued. "Those tenets have been sidelined — pushed aside in favor of identity and a focus on our differences, rather than on what once made us all proud Feds."
The FBI's precipitous downward spiral started during the tenure of Director James Comney, Gagliano noted.
In his 2018 book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” Comey describes how he met with FBI headquarters employees on his first day as director.
Comey was seated on a stool, wearing a tie, blue shirt and no jacket. "Why mention that?" Gagliano asked. "Because the man who Comey succeeded, Robert S. Mueller III, proudly wore a white shirt, tie and jacket to work every day — as did his five predecessors dating back to Hoover. Tradition."
Comey writes in his book, “I thought that shirt color was one early, small way to set a different tone.”
Gagliano noted: "Assimilation is no longer the goal; it’s now focusing on one’s perceived identity that counts most. Once a fairly conservative agency, the bureau now competes to align itself with activists for wokeness. And division. Comey’s blue shirt is emblematic of what’s seemingly become most important to the FBI."
Gagliano points to the 2023 FBI edition’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage.
"The bureau once attracted eager, qualified applicants to hunt down terrorists, dismantle violent street gangs and stymie China’s spying," he wrote. "Now FBI 2.0 lures aspiring crimefighters with its Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC) and Employee Resource Group (ERG). Long gone are the days of special agents being instructed at Quantico that they were but a small, unified bunch striving to do right at the premier law-enforcement agency in the world."
The DAC highlights all the distribution lists where agents can align with: American Indian and Alaska Native Advisory Committee, Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee, Black Affairs Diversity Committee, Bureau Equality, Hispanic Advisory Board, Near and Middle East Advisory Committee, Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the Women’s Advisory Committee.
The ERG adds to the workforce groups such as: Blacks in Government, FBI African American Millennials, FBI Family, FBI Jewish Americans, FBI Latinos for Empowerment Advancement and Development, FBI Pride, Federal Asian Pacific American Counsel, Federally Employed Women, From Boots to Suits and the Toastmasters Club (where the jokes write themselves).
"For so many retired FBI agents, these gratuitous DEI efforts are beyond shameful — contributing to the pedestal-toppling of an FBI we sweated for and bled to honor," Gagliano wrote.
Membership . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish
