Cleaning up the remnants of Biden’s politically correct, woke federal bureaucracy was always going to be a difficult task, but the second Trump administration is determined to go all the way to prevent left-leaning agency leaders from hiding their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives behind coded language or superficial programs.
One of President Trump’s first executive orders targeted the elimination of all diversity, equity, and inclusion officers within the federal government, followed by the dismantling of their respective departments. However, even in areas of the bureaucracy where MAGA supporters might not expect DEI to thrive, it has still managed to take root.
A quick investigation into the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has uncovered an attempt by its previous leadership to conceal the true role of its chief diversity officer. Lisa T. Boykin, who had held the position since at least March 2023, saw her title as Chief Diversity Officer quietly changed to the more generic label of “Senior Executive,” likely in an effort to downplay the role and avoid drawing attention. Online investigators discovered a press release from March 31, 2023, in which Boykin, serving as the ATF chief diversity officer, emphasizes the significance of “strategic hiring initiatives.” Critics argue that these initiatives undermine a fairer, merit-based system for government hiring.
“ATF’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has been long standing in the law enforcement community,” Boykin said at the time. “In support of President Biden’s Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, ATF has deepened its commitment to being a model employer in support of our strategic hiring initiatives around recruitment, retention and career development.”
Here’s an archived copy of the memo, however:
The discovery of Boykin’s professional shuffle comes just days after Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove issued a list of strict directives to agency heads across the government. Among the requirements, senior officials must immediately place all employees in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) positions on paid leave, shut down the DEI departments’ external presence, such as websites and social media accounts, and terminate partnerships with all DEI-related contractors. Employees must also disclose if they are aware of any efforts to hide the use of DEI resources or staff by using vague or unclear language, according to a memo obtained by the Daily Mail.
