Resignations and firings have depleted the FBI and Justice Department. They’re scrambling to rebuild

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Briefing Summary

AI-generated

NEWSAR · AI

The FBI and Justice Department are working to rebuild their depleted workforces following a wave of resignations and firings over the past year. To address staffing shortages, the FBI has eased hiring requirements, utilizing social media recruitment and offering abbreviated training programs. The Justice Department is now hiring prosecutors directly from law school to fill vacancies in U.S. attorney's offices. These changes are driven by retirements, resignations related to concerns about politicization during the Trump administration, and the dismissal of employees perceived as disloyal. Some current and former officials express concern that these measures represent a lowering of standards within the agencies.

Confidence 0.90Sources 2Claims 5Entities 7

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Article analysis

Model · rule-based

Framing

Political Strategy

National Security

Tone

Measured

AI-assessed

CalmNeutralAlarmist

Factuality

0.70 / 1.00

Factual

LowHigh

Sources cited

2

Limited

FewMany

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Key claims

5 extracted

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The Justice Department has opened the door to hiring prosecutors right out of law school.

factual

Confidence

1.00

02

The FBI has turned to social media campaigns to attract applicants.

factual

Confidence

1.00

03

The FBI and Justice Department are rebuilding a depleted workforce after a wave of departures.

factual

Confidence

0.90

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Retirements and resignations were prompted in part by concerns over the Trump administration’s politicization.

factual

Confidence

0.80

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Some current and former agents say the FBI is promoting employees with less experience into leadership.

quoteSome current and former agents

Confidence

0.70

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Full report

2 min read · 301 words

Tourists walk past a banner with President Donald Trump hanging on the Department of Justice, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File) 2026-04-19T11:52:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards. The FBI has turned to social media campaigns to attract applicants, offered abbreviated training for candidates from other federal agencies and relaxed requirements for support staff seeking to become agents, according to people familiar with the changes and internal communications seen by The Associated Press. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened the door to hiring prosecutors right out of law school to help fill vacancies in U.S. attorney’s offices across the country. Some current and former agents also say the FBI is promoting into positions of leadership employees with less experience than would be customary for the jobs. The moves reflect a broader effort to stabilize a workforce strained by retirements and resignations prompted in part by concerns over the Trump administration’s politicization of the department, along with the firings of lawyers , agents and other employees deemed insufficiently loyal to the Republican president’s agenda. Critics of the changes say they amount to a reduction in standards for a law enforcement institution that has long prided itself on professional expertise and is responsible for everything from preventing terrorist attacks to building complex public corruption prosecutions. “It’s a sign of, among other things, the difficulty the department is having right now in keeping and recruiting people,” said Greg Brower, a former U.S. attorney in Nevada who left the FBI in 2018 as its chief congressional liaison. (

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