The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been accused of changing job positions to quietly replace former diversity officer as chief. Donald Trump They ordered all federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) employees to be placed on paid leave.
“ATF defied @RealDonaldTrump's order to put DEI workers on leave, and instead gives DEI officer a new title. They attack citizens' rights, ignore leadership, and act as if they are above the law. Enough is enough. Enough time. ATF!” The Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burleson posted to X.
The ATF, a federal law enforcement agency operating under the umbrella of the Department of Justice, formerly Lisa T. Boykin as chief diversity officer before changing her title on the ATF website this week to “senior executive director” with the ATF. An archived link to the ATF website reviewed by Fox Digital Shows Boykin as chief diversity officer was listed as recently as Tuesday — Trump's second day in the Oval Office — and now shows her serving as the agency's “senior executive director.”
Trump has taken aim at DEI programs and offices at the federal level, as well as in the education system, throughout his campaign. Upon taking office on Monday, he Signed executive order expires “DEI is illegal and the 'Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility' (DEIA) describes, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the federal government, under whatever name they appear.”
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President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
The next day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told agency and department leaders to begin closing DEI offices and placing DEI employees on paid leave.
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Photo by Lisa T. Official Boykin of the ATF. (ATF)
“Send notification to all employees Diversity, equity, inclusion, and Accessibility Offices (DEIA) placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/terminate all DEIA initiatives, offices, and programs,” the OPM directive, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
Boykin's resume from 2023 Boykin began working in the ATF's human resources operations division in 2016 and “as a side gig, in 2021, she also began working as the bureau's chief diversity officer,” the New York Post reported.
“With the Office's continued focus on strengthening DIAA, Ms. Boykin currently articulates the CDO's work in a full-time capacity, leading and executing programs and mandates, while bringing a renewed vision and effective strategies to maintain the DIAA-informed culture of the Office,” Boykin's Bio added.
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When asked about the title change and subsequent criticism on social media, an ATF spokesperson responded that the agency had followed DEI guidance from the Trump administration.
ATF seal. (Photo by Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)
“ATF began implementing OPM's initial guidance on DEIA immediately after its issuance on January 21, 2025, in response to… President's Executive Orders. We have proactively taken steps to ensure compliance with this guidance, including placing affected employees on administrative leave,” an ATF spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital requested clarification on whether Boykin's new title protects her from administrative leave but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Boykin on her ATF email and received an automated response indicating she was not available to respond.
“I am currently unavailable and unable to return emails at this time.”
Social media commentators and critics of the Biden administration's diversity initiatives criticized the ATF employee's title change on social media, with the agency “circumventing” orders from the Trump administration.
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Biden has championed diversity initiatives under his administration, reversing policies from the first Trump administration that banned diversity training in government agencies during his first week in office in 2021.
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“In the coming weeks, I will reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, and build on the work we began in the Obama-Biden administration. That is why I am reversing the previous administration’s harmful bans on diversity and unity,” Biden said in January of 2021. Healing is in understanding and truth, not ignorance and lies.”
