Former agent James Davidson: the criterion "should certainly not be eliminated"
James DavidsonFormer FBI agent; president, FBI Integrity Project
Former FBI agent James Davidson, president of the FBI Integrity Project, said a history of bestiality can indicate a serious emotional issue and that the FBI's applicant pool is large enough that the disqualifying criterion should not have been eliminated.
“[Bestiality] is clearly a potential indication of a more serious emotional issue. And even in a circumstance where it is not, the pool of candidates should be extensive enough that the criteria should certainly not be eliminated.”
Reporting
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.
Before the quotation
Speaking to CBS News as part of its original report on the FBI hiring-policy change.
After the quotation
Davidson's comments predate Patel's September 15 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony defending the policy.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Davidson condemns the policy change on clinical grounds, arguing bestiality can indicate a serious emotional issue and that a large enough applicant pool means the disqualifying criterion should not have been eliminated at all, rejecting the premise that removing it was appropriate even accounting for the victim rationale Patel offered.
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- People and groups discussed
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
More from this case
Read the full caseFBI National Press Office: applicants who engaged in criminal sexual acts remain ineligible
Federal Bureau of Investigation
“We are not 'relaxing hiring standards' - that is totally false... any applicant who has engaged in criminal sexual acts like those referenced would of course not be eligible for employment, and it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise.”Read statement
Maureen 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
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The Dispute Index. "Former agent James Davidson: the criterion "should certainly not be eliminated"". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/823-former-fbi-agent-james-davidson-president-of-the