By Steve Neavling
The Trump administration is preparing to relax hiring requirements for FBI agents, raising concerns among current and former officials who fear it will erode the bureau’s reputation and effectiveness, The New York Times reports.
Under a plan advanced by Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, new recruits would no longer need a college degree and would receive eight weeks of training instead of the traditional 18 at the FBI Academy in Quantico, according to people familiar with the changes. The first class under the new rules is tentatively set for October.
The shift comes as the bureau expects to lose more than 5,000 employees by September, mostly from early retirements and severance packages offered to trim the budget. By loosening requirements, the FBI could expand its recruiting pool to other federal agencies, including ICE, inspector general offices and the ATF.
Chris O’Leary, a former FBI agent and senior counterterrorism official, warned the changes would weaken the agency.
“If the bureau’s leaders knew anything about leading organizations, they would know that when you lower the standards, your mission effectiveness goes down with that, because not only does the capability of each individual agent decline, but your reputation, both domestically and globally, takes a hit,” he said.
He called the plan another example of “generational destruction” at the bureau.
O’Leary also criticized the announcement that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who has little FBI experience, would join Bongino as deputy director.
“The apparent diminution of Mr. Bongino’s role while lowering the recruiting standards only added to the concern that the FBI suffered from a lack of strong senior managers and may ‘do the bidding of the administration, no matter what it is,’” he said.
The FBI declined to comment on the changes.
