An FBI field office planned a party in honor of Ketanji Brown Jackson shortly after her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, leaked emails show. The story was initially reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Washington Free Beacon received an internally circulated email from the FBI’s Los Angeles Women’s and Black Affairs Committees, dated March 11, that advertised a “save the date” for an interview with the agency’s assistant director in charge for the L.A. field office and a “nomination party” for Jackson on March 23. The event was first reported on Tuesday by Tucker Carlson.
“Join us: A dynamic interview, socialization, and lots of celebrating with desserts!” reads a leaked invitation to the event. A day later, the party was scrapped, which was confirmed in an email from the office’s diversity and inclusion department. FBI superiors concluded that the party would be in violation of the bureau’s commitment to nonpartisanship.
“The FBI must remain neutral in all political confirmation and nomination processes,” states the email. “Accordingly, a party for any nominee in FBI space would be inappropriate.” The unnamed employee then apologized for any misunderstanding.
An FBI spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon that the Ketanji Brown Jackson incident was “addressed immediately and does not reflect the high standards of the FBI.”
“An email circulated within the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office recognizing a Supreme Court nomination was issued without proper review and was quickly retracted by FBI management,” the spokeswoman wrote in a statement.
