The FBI has quietly loosened its background-check rules for applicants, a change critics say opens the door to agents who could be blackmailed.

• Past use of a sex worker no longer automatically disqualifies applicants, if it was legal, long ago, and happened no more than twice.
• Applicants who stole from an employer can now be hired if the theft was at least three years back, and some childhood animal-abuse cases no longer bar a candidate.
• The bureau is also cutting training and screening steps, including a shorter academy path and a waived interview panel for staff moving into agent roles.
• The driver is a hiring crunch: over a thousand experienced special agents left in 2025, most with decades on the job.
• Former agents warn the old rules existed to keep agents from being compromised, not to police morals.

Outlook: Expect more pushback from ex-agents and lawmakers as the FBI keeps trading vetting standards for headcount.