Sadly this kind of behavior is all too predictable. The US government has a policy of hiring from the bottom of the barrel in order to maintain the status quo. It hires those who are limited in their options, who are of low educational attainment, and whose intellects are generally constrained compared to the average of the population as a whole. These are precisely the kinds of people who, when given authority over others, abuse their power in order to feel better about themselves.

This is why we see routine abuses by police, ICE, FBI agents, Secret Service agents, and on and on and on. The USA, uniquely among the OECD, has consistently low-quality government employees as a direct result of hiring and promotion practices that frankly have no place in any society aspiring to adequacy. It is tragic that so many abuses continue to take place on a daily basis simply because they are “situation normal” for the USA.