7 days ago
Trump administration says RI under investigation for affirmative action hiring. What we know.
The U.S. Department of Justice says it is investigating Rhode Island state government and its "affirmative action policies" for potential employment discrimination.
The investigation seeks to determine whether the state "engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race or any other protected characteristic," according to a June 4 letter from Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
"Our investigation is based on information that Rhode Island may be engaged in employment practices regarding its affirmative action program governing state government employment under state law that discriminate based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics in violation of Title VII [The Civil Rights Act]," the letter said.
It is unclear how many other states have received similar letters.
The letter does not mention the state's Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, which oversees diversity recruiting efforts and minority contracting laws, the state policies that most closely resemble "DEI" initiatives President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate.
"We are currently awaiting details regarding the substance of the investigation," Olivia DaRocha, spokeswoman for McLee wrote in response to questions about the letter. "At this time, we have no reason to believe that there is an issue with our current hiring practices."
The McKee administration refused to say whether it has received any subpoenas or formal requests for information from the DOJ.
Dhillon's last high-profile case in Rhode Island, before she joined the federal government, was a lawsuit on behalf of Alex and Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian accusing Bank of America of gender discrimination and blaming the lender for sending the jewelry company into a financial "death spiral."
Alex and Ani dropped the case less than a month after bringing it and later filed for bankruptcy protection.
The DOJ letter was first reported by The Public's Radio. Neronha told the station the letter was "so vague and non-specific" he doesn't see a need to respond to it yet.
Rhode Island was recently also put on notice by the Trump administration after being named a "sanctuary jurisdiction," along with Providence and Central Falls, which the administration called "sanctuary cities," in an executive order issued May 29. The jurisdictions named in the order were alleged to have been violating federal immigration law.
The order promised follow up from the federal government, but both state and city officials said they never received any. And days later, that order disappeared from the Department of Homeland Security website.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI under investigation by Trump administration for DEI hiring politics
