ATF accused of 'circumventing' Trump order to place DEI staff on paid leave

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been accused of allegedly softly changing the occupation rubric of its erstwhile diverseness serviceman arsenic President Donald Trump ordered all national diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees beryllium placed connected paid leave. 

"The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s bid to spot DEI workers connected leave, alternatively giving their DEI serviceman a caller title. They onslaught citizens’ rights, disregard leadership, and enactment arsenic though they’re supra the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!" Republican Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison posted to X. 

The ATF, a national instrumentality enforcement bureau nether the Department of Justice’s umbrella, antecedently employed Lisa T. Boykin arsenic its main diverseness serviceman earlier her rubric was changed connected the ATF’s website this week to "senior executive" with the ATF. An archived nexus of the ATF’s website reviewed by Fox Digital shows Boykin was listed arsenic the main diverseness serviceman arsenic precocious arsenic Tuesday – Trump’s 2nd time successful the Oval Office – and present shows her arsenic moving arsenic the agency's "senior executive." 

Trump had railed against DEI programs and offices astatine the national level, arsenic good arsenic successful the acquisition system, passim his campaign. Upon taking bureau connected Monday, helium inked an enforcement bid terminating ​​"illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities successful the Federal Government, nether immoderate sanction they appear."

TRUMP REVOKES BIDEN ORDER ALLOWING TRANSGENDER TROOPS IN BID TO RID DEI FROM MILITARY

President Donald Trump signs enforcement orders successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Jan. 20, 2025. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

The pursuing day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told bureau and section leaders to statesman shutting down DEI offices and to spot DEI employees connected paid leave. 

TRUMP'S DISMANTLING OF DEI IS DEEPER AND BIGGER THAN YOU EVEN KNOW

Lisa T. Boykin's authoritative photograph for ATF. (ATF)

"Send a notification to each employees of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed connected paid administrative permission effectual instantly arsenic the bureau takes steps to close/end each DEIA initiatives, offices and programs," the OPM directive, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, read. 

A biography for Boykin from 2023 elaborate that she began moving arsenic ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division successful 2016 and "as a collateral duty, successful 2021, Mrs. Boykin besides began serving arsenic the Bureau’s Chief Diversity Officer," the New York Post reported. 

"With the Bureau’s continued absorption connected enhancing DEIA, Mrs. Boykin presently assumes the enactment of the CDO successful a fulltime capacity, starring and implementing departmental programs and mandates, portion bringing renewed imaginativeness and effectual strategies to support an informed DEIA civilization for the Bureau," Boykin’s bio added.

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

When asked astir the rubric alteration and consequent disapproval connected societal media, an ATF spokesperson responded that the bureau has followed DEI directives from the Trump administration. 

The ATF seal.  (Photo by Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)

"ATF began implementing OPM’s Initial Guidance connected DEIA instantly aft its issuance connected January 21, 2025, successful effect to the President’s Executive Orders. We person proactively taken the indispensable steps to guarantee compliance with this guidance, including by placing impacted unit connected administrative leave," an ATF spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital asked for clarification connected whether Boykin's caller rubric protects her from administrative permission but did not instantly person a reply. 

Fox News Digital besides reached retired to Boykin connected her ATF email and received an automatic effect noting she was unavailable to reply. 

"I americium presently unavailable and incapable to instrumentality e-mails astatine this time," the email read. 

Social media commenters and critics of the Biden administration’s diverseness initiatives slammed the ATF employee’s rubric alteration connected societal media, clamming the bureau is "circumventing" the Trump administration's orders. 

3 IN 10 VOTERS THINK ENDING DEI PROGRAMS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, POLL SHOWS, AS FEDERAL DEADLINE LOOMS

Biden championed diverseness initiatives nether his administration, rolling backmost the archetypal Trump administration's policies that banned diverseness grooming successful authorities agencies during his archetypal week successful bureau successful 2021. 

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"In the weeks ahead, I volition beryllium reaffirming the national government’s committedness to diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility, gathering connected the enactment we started successful the Obama-Biden administration. That’s wherefore I’m rescinding the erstwhile administration’s harmful prohibition connected diverseness and sensitivity training," Biden said successful January of 2021. "Unity and healing indispensable statesman with knowing and truth, not ignorance and lies."