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FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI on Friday demanding answers about the federal law enforcement agency’s “radical” DEI practices following the shocking New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.
“While the facts surrounding this unthinkable attack continue to emerge, what we do know is deeply troubling: The suspect was in possession of weapons, improvised explosive devices and an ISIS flag. This horrific incident constitutes an egregious act of terror in the American homeland. And the people of our country deserve to know whether federal law enforcement agencies can adequately prevent and respond to these incidents,” Blackburn wrote in his letter to Wray on Friday. which was obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
“Therefore, I am deeply concerned that, under your leadership, the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” the senator continued from tennessee
Chaos broke out The famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day when a truck plowed through a crowd of revelers celebrating the holiday. At least 14 people were killed and 30 others were injured.
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Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his nomination to be the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 12, 2017 in Washington, DC (Photo by Mandel NGAN/AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a twice-divorced Texas Army veteran, was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle during the attack. He was killed later open fire on the police.
After the attack happened Wednesday morning, Blackburn took to social media to call for confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and to admonish the current leadership of the ‘agency to supposedly focus more on DEI practices. that “fighting criminals and terrorists.“
New Orleans police and federal agents investigate a suspected terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
In his letter to Wray on Friday, Blackburn cited a recent report by a group of retired FBI agents that found “the FBI’s law enforcement and intelligence capabilities are ‘they’re demoting because the FBI no longer hires’ the best and brightest ‘candidates’. as well as the hiring of a director of diversity at the FBI in 2021, as well as the New Orleans field office hosting a “Diversity Agent Recruiting Event” in July as evidence of the the agency’s biggest emphasis on DEI.
“More recently, in a stunning example of tone-deafness, the New Orleans FBI field office thought it was important to brag to X about how many bracelets their agents had collected. Your decision to prioritize politics, popular culture or almost anything else above your mission. protecting the public has put Americans at risk and the January 1st terrorist attack was the inevitable consequence,” Blackburn wrote in his letter
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“Simply put, your focus on DEI-led initiatives at the FBI has put our national security and the lives of all Americans at risk. Americans now feel increasingly unsafe because of ‘Incidents like the January 1st terrorist attack, and the FBI’s prioritization of diversity over competence show that their concerns are well founded, fortunately, the American people have spoken and President Trump will soon return law and order to our nation,” Blackburn continued.
The FBI took the lead on the case Wednesday, first landing in hot water with Trump allies and voters, including for initially informing the public that the attack was not a case of terrorism.
Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We will take over the investigation of this event. This is not a terrorist event,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Office Alethea Duncan said during a news conference Wednesday morning .
During that same press conference, however, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan’s comment and did not mince words in detailing that the city was facing an act of terror.
When asked about Duncan’s comment, the FBI directed Fox News Digital on Thursday to three press releases issued the day before, detailing that the attack was being investigated as a terrorist incident. Press releases also detailed that an ISIS flag was found in the suspect’s truck.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing several people and injuring dozens of others. The matter involved local law enforcement and he is now deceased .The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital.
Blackburn continued in his letter to Wray with five questions about the FBI’s DEI hiring practices, including: How many FBI employees have been hired based on the Bureau’s DEI initiatives; how DEI initiatives are funded and whether any FBI funds were reallocated to these initiatives; as well as how many people were hired during the New Orleans Field Office Diversity Officer Recruitment Event in July.
Military personnel walk down Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
“Has the Bureau recently terminated the employment of any FBI agents assisting the intelligence and counterterrorism components of the FBI’s Homeland Security Branch?” Blackburn asked in his final questions. “In the online post about the July 17 event, New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil is quoted as saying that “the diversity of our staff is the most valuable resource we have a. . . keep Americans safe.” Do you agree with this statement?”
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work at the scene on Bourbon Street after at least ten people were killed when a person allegedly drove into a crowd in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, January 1, 2025 , in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dozens more were injured after a suspect in a rented pickup truck drove through barricades and through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street. The suspect then got out of the car, opened fire on police officers and was later killed by law enforcement. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
Wray announced he would resign from the FBI at the end of President Biden’s term this month, after Trump nominated Kash Patel to the role. Wray was first appointed under the first Trump administration and was in the midst of a 10-year term that would not have ended until 2027.
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“Until the The president-elect’s nominee to lead the FBI is confirmed, the American people deserve to know the extent to which your radical DEI agenda has compromised our national security,” Blackburn wrote to Wray, asking him to answer his questions on January 10.
