Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) slammed President Trump and his administration on Wednesday after officials said they would launch a probe into the city’s hiring practices.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to Johnson inquiring about racial bias in the Windy City’s hiring practices following the mayor’s Sunday comments at a local church in Woodlawn, Ill.
“As far as, you know, the president’s animus towards women, people of color, working people, we have always known who he has been,” Johnson said during a Wednesday press conference. “This is not a surprise. He’s a monster.”
“We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that,” he added.
Earlier in the week, while speaking at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson — who is also Black — said he’d hired more Black people in his administration because they’re the “most generous people on Earth.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon responded to the comments in a letter sent to the mayor on Monday.
“If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions,” Dhillon wrote.
The pressure comes as Trump has sought to crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the U.S.
Johnson argued the investigation was launched out of fear.
“You can tell when someone is fearful is because they act out,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We have a president that is screaming and having tantrums right now because we have an administration that reflects the city of Chicago, but he would much rather have administrations that reflect the country club. Period.”
“He is most comfortable around people who think and look like him,” the mayor added.
Following the DOJ announcement, Johnson’s office released a demographic breakdown of his office.
Staff members are 34.3 percent Black, 30.5 percent white, 23.8 percent Hispanic and 6.7 percent Asian as reported by local outlet ABC7.
