Catherine Rampell
Role at the time: Columnist, The Washington Post; Bulwark contributor
Condemned
Statement summary
Catherine Rampell said the FBI's lowered hiring standards reflect prioritizing loyalty to Trump over effectiveness.
“CBS had a story about how they are having to lower the recruiting standards for the FBI... no longer automatically disqualifying if a person... has hired a prostitute, stolen from a previous employer, or even engaged in beastiality... they're no longer optimizing on who is the most effective... but rather who is willing to pledge personal loyalty to Donald Trump.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Bulwark panel on the FBI hiring-standards change
Catherine Rampell and Joe Perticone discuss the FBI hiring-standards change on video, ~20:43-23:30.
Why we used this label
Rampell frames the policy as no longer optimizing for effectiveness but for personal loyalty to Trump, an express condemnation of the hiring-standards change.