Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is locking horns with the Justice Department after the agency launched a racial bias probe over the mayor’s comments about preferring to hire Black people for high-level positions in his administration.
He said Black people are reliably selfless.
Mr. Johnson, a Democrat who is also Black, defended his remarks Tuesday and took a swipe at the lack of diversity in President Trump’s Cabinet.
“Whereas my administration reflects the country, reflects the city, his administration reflects the country club, and that is the biggest difference between what we’re doing in Chicago and what is coming from the federal government,” Mr. Johnson said.
Mr. Johnson spoke Sunday at the Apostolic Church of God in the South Side and listed several key members of his team who are Black.
Those positions include three Black women who work as deputy mayors, including for city departments such as Economic and Neighborhood Development, Planning and Development, and Infrastructure. The mayor also said his budget director is a Black woman.
Mr. Johnson noted that his chief operations officer and his senior advisor are both Black men.
“The detractors that will push back on me and say, ’The only thing the mayor talks about is the hiring of Black people,’” Mr. Johnson said. “No, what I’m saying is, when you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else. We are the most generous people on the planet.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter Monday to the mayor saying his administration was being investigated for potentially violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The 1964 federal law bars employers from hiring, firing or promoting people based on race.
Ms. Dhillon mentioned other comments by Mr. Johnson, such as him saying that he was opening positions to “ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business.”
“If these kinds of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are being made for low-level positions,” Ms. Dhillon wrote.
On Tuesday, Mr. Johnson said he looks to hire people who are competent, collaborative and compassionate.
“Is there a value to make sure that people who are closest to neighborhoods bring that level of expertise? There’s value in that,” the mayor said.
He said the investigation is not going to make him shy away from the city’s goal of being the safest, most affordable big city in the country.
