FBI spokesperson: the bureau is "not relaxing hiring standards"
Federal Bureau of InvestigationFBI spokesperson / National Press Office
An FBI spokesperson said the bureau is not relaxing its hiring standards and that the policy change reflects "whole of person" consideration for applicants who were themselves victimized.
“Not relaxing hiring standards... whole of person [consideration]... zero fault of their own.”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Federal Bureau of Investigation in this case
- FBI National Press Office: applicants who engaged in criminal sexual acts remain ineligibleLater: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Kash Patel defends FBI’s removal of automatic hiring disqualifiers for bestiality, prostitution, and employee theft
The FBI changed its hiring standards in 2026 to remove automatic disqualification of job applicants over past prostitution, employee theft, or bestiality/animal-cruelty history, first reported by CBS News on August 28, 2026. At a September 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended the change as intended to protect trafficking and abuse victims from disqualification, saying "we did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked." Sen. Dick Durbin disputed that framing, saying the rule as written removes disqualification for "applicants who have engaged" in the conduct, not specifically victims. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe publicly called Patel’s rationale "not entirely believable."
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Original investigative report disclosing the FBI’s June 2026 policy change removing automatic disqualification for prostitution, employee theft, and bestiality/animal-cruelty history, based on multiple sources with direct knowledge, with on-record comment from an FBI spokesperson and named critics.
Reporting
About this source
Clearest account of the Durbin/Patel disagreement over whether the "victims" framing accurately describes the policy, and the fullest quoted FBI spokesperson statement.
Before the quotation
Provided to CBS News for its original report and restated in substantially similar form around the September 15, 2026 hearing.
After the quotation
This framing was directly disputed by Sen. Dick Durbin in the September 15, 2026 hearing exchange.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The FBI’s own spokesperson directly defends the policy as narrow and victim-protective, denying it lowers hiring standards — an institutional defense of the conduct under scrutiny.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseMaureen Steele accepts the trafficking-victim rationale but says the FBI wrote it too broadly: "Victims deserve mercy. Federal power demands character."
“Victims deserve mercy. Federal power demands character.”Read statement
Wallace calls Patel's testimony "unbelievable," evidence of institutional decline
“unbelievable... just how far the FBI has fallen under the direction and leadership”Read statement
Josh Johnson mocks Patel's hearing answers: "these are the standards you're lowering?"
“You know things have gone off the rails when someone has to ask, what about the bestiality? … We are witnessing history here. This may be the first time ever someone's response to "what's up with the bestiality" is "thank you for bringing that up." … Like, these are the standards you're lowering? Maybe the new standard should be only needs to do 20 push-ups and not can't go to a petting zoo wearing gym shorts.”Read statement
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- FBI spokesperson: the bureau is "not relaxing hiring standards"
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The Dispute Index. "FBI spokesperson: the bureau is "not relaxing hiring standards"". First published: 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16. https://disputeindex.com/events/719-an-fbi-spokesperson-said-the-bureau-is-not