Hapless FBI shows in New Orleans terror attack why bureau reform is necessary
On Jan. 1, 2025, the hope and promise of the New Year was dashed by a horrific mass casualty vehicle attack on Bourbon Street.
Within hours, a representative of the nation’s premier counterterrorism agency misinformed a national audience that it was definitely not an act of terrorism. This despite the presence of an ISIS flag on the attack vehicle.
The entire nation watched as the second in command of the FBI, New Orleans Field Office, sporting casual dress and a nose ring, put on full display the issues that have plagued the FBI since 2016: investigations driven not by facts, but politics, and the absence of merit as the sole measure for hiring and promotions.
It was clear the hapless FBI assistant special agent in charge (ASAC) lacked the knowledge, skills and abilities to handle a straightforward assignment, that of accurately reporting the facts and confidently reassuring the public that the investigation and public safety were in good hands.
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She committed the egregious mistake of communicating a snap judgment before the basic facts were known, defaulting to the prevailing FBI dogma that international terrorism is no longer the dominant threat in this country. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the next press conference, she erroneously announced that there were coconspirators at large who had planted an IED, causing the upcoming Sugar Bowl to be unnecessarily postponed out of fear of another attack. Both statements had to be walked back after a highly respected FBI deputy assistant director arrived from bureau headquarters in Washington to take over the investigation.
As a 24-year veteran of the FBI, it is devastating to admit that New Orleans may represent a low point in an eight-year period that saw the public’s confidence in the bureau sink to less than 40%.
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I know that the FBI has some of the most dedicated and talented investigators in the profession and its capabilities still set the standard for law enforcement. However, in recent years, they have been poorly led by "woke" executives guided by their own political bent and who succumbed to the agenda of a Justice Department dedicated to doing the bidding of their "progressive" masters in the Biden White House.
Tragically, many current and former FBI agents believe that the bureau’s effectiveness has been compromised by DEI initiatives which some agents cynically refer to as the "Didn’t Earn It" program. Whether DEI is the culprit or simply a deeply flawed promotion system, the dismal performance of the FBI ASAC on a national platform reflected poorly on the FBI. This self-inflicted wound came at the worst possible time when an incoming FBI director has clearly stated his intention to perform radical surgery on the bureau and its leadership.
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It doesn’t help that today’s FBI promotes the Biden trope that "White supremacy" is the greatest terror threat and rewards agents and analysts for kneeling to rioters rather than investigating and prosecuting them for torching government facilities and assaulting federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Detractors contrast how the same FBI scorched the earth to pursue Jan. 6 participants, many of whom were charged with misdemeanor trespassing and the unconstitutional charge of obstructing a proceeding.
The predawn raid of the personal residence of a former POTUS and current presidential candidate may go down as the worst abuse of power in this nation’s history.
The new FBI director should reinstitute regular and thorough field office inspections and rigorous performance reviews to measure the efficiency, effectiveness and objectivity of individual FBI agents and executives. In the pre-Comey FBI, both promotions (and sometimes demotions) were based on the result of these inspections.
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This robust process, abandoned under Director James Comey, was the best way to measure performance and identify both nonperformers and potential leaders. Unfortunately, in today’s FBI an agent could serve an entire career without snapping handcuffs on a criminal or disrupting a terrorist plot.
Current agents report that careerism and unquestioning adherence to the whims of DOJ and FBI idealogues are more career enhancing than engaging in proactive, enterprise level investigations. Challenging leadership decisions, however flawed, is death to a career.
Agents seeking promotions used to be required to demonstrate strong leadership qualities and proficiency in performance as the "case agent" on complex investigations that yield significant prosecutions. FBI agents were not promoted to the next level before they demonstrated competence and yes, excellence, at each level. Facts drove investigations, not personal political views or dislikes.
The work of the FBI is critical to keeping our country safe from grave threats of terrorism, enterprise-level crime and hostile foreign governments. Yet the tragic events in New Orleans laid bare the bureau’s issues.
The bureau can return to greatness with leadership and policies that reward merit, objectivity and excellence guided by its motto: fidelity, bravery and integrity. I and many of my colleagues are looking forward to that day.