FIRST ON FOX: Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn sent a letter FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday demanding answers about the “radical” actions of the DEI, the top federal law enforcement agency, in the wake of the shocking New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans.
“While the facts surrounding this reckless 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 represents a blatant act of terror on the American homeland, and the citizens of our country deserve to know whether federal law enforcement agencies can adequately prevent and respond to such incidents,” Blackburn wrote in her letter to Wray on Friday, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
“To that end, I am deeply concerned that — under your leadership — the Office has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” the Tennessee senator continued.
Chaos broke out on The famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, when the truck drove through a crowd of revelers celebrating the holiday. At least 14 people died and 30 were injured.
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Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his nomination to be 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 military veteran from Texas, was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle during the attack. After that he was killed opening fire on the police.
After the attack happened Wednesday morning, Blackburn took to social media to call for the confirmation of Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, and to admonish the agency’s current leadership for allegedly placing more focus on the practices of the DEI- I. but “fight against criminals and terrorists.“
New Orleans police and federal agents are investigating an alleged 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 her 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 degrading because the FBI is no longer hiring the ‘best and brightest’ candidates,” as well as the FBI’s 2021 hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer, as well as the New Orleans field office to host a “Diversity Agent Hiring Event” in July as evidence increased agency focus on DEI.
“Recently, in a striking example of tone-deafness, the FBI’s New Orleans field office saw fit to brag to X about how many bracelets its agents collected. Your decision to prioritize politics, pop culture, or just about anything else over your mission to protect the public has led put Americans at risk, and the January 1 terrorist attack was the inevitable consequence,” Blackburn wrote in her letter.
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“Simply put, your focus on woke DEI 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 shows that their concerns are well-founded, the American people have said and President Trump will soon restore law and order to our nation,” Blackburn continued.
The FBI took the lead in the case on Wednesday, running into hot water with Trump allies and voters for the first time, including initially reporting to 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,” Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said during a news conference Wednesday morning.
However, during that same press conference, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan’s comment and did not mince words in detailing that the city had faced an act of terrorism.
When asked about Duncan’s comment, the FBI on Thursday referred Fox News Digital to three statements released a day earlier, which said the attack was being investigated as a terrorist incident. The reports also stated that an ISIS flag was found in the suspect’s truck.
“This morning a person drove a car into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing multiple people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then turned himself in to local law enforcement and is now dead. 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 to Fox Digital.
In her letter to Wray, Blackburn went on to raise five questions regarding the FBI’s DEI hiring practices, including: How many FBI employees are hired based on the Bureau’s DEI initiatives; how DEI initiatives are funded and whether any FBI funds are reallocated to such initiatives; as well as how many individuals were hired during the New Orleans Field Office Agent Recruitment Event in July.
Military personnel walk down Bourbon Street on 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 FBI’s National Security Branch in counterterrorism and intelligence components?” Blackburn asked in his final questions. “In an online post about the July 17 event, New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil was quoted as saying that “the diversity of our staff is the most valuable resource we have in . . . keeping Americans safe.” Do you agree with that statement?”
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work at the scene on Bourbon Street after at least ten people were killed when one person reportedly drove into a crowd in the early morning hours on New Year’s Day January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dozens were injured after the suspect allegedly drove around barricades and through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck. The suspect then got out of the car, opened fire on the officers, and the officers then killed him. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
Wray announced he would retire from the FBI at the end of President Biden’s term this month, after Trump nominated Kash Patel for the role. Wray was first nominated during the first Trump administration and was in the middle of a 10-year term that was not due to end until 2027.
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“Up to The President-elect’s nominee to lead the FBI confirmed, the American people deserve to know the extent to which your radical DEI agenda has threatened our national security,” Blackburn wrote to Wray, urging him to respond to her questions by January 10.
