Chicago DOJ Probe Launched Into Mayor’s Race-Based Hiring Practices

Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson is now the subject of a Department of Justice investigation following controversial remarks defending hiring based on race remarks that critics say reveal a pattern of discrimination inside City Hall.

During a May 18 speech at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson appeared to proudly defend hiring Black individuals above all others, saying, “We are the most generous people on the planet.” He went on to say, “When you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else.” Johnson emphasized that staffing his administration with Black individuals was key to helping Black businesses grow.

It was enough to raise red flags at the DOJ.

In a formal letter, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said, “Considering these remarks, I have authorized an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination.”

Dhillon didn’t stop there. She explicitly questioned whether race-based hiring may be happening not just at the top, but throughout the ranks of Chicago’s massive bureaucracy “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 also being made for lower-level positions.”

Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, one of the few vocal critics inside the city council, applauded the investigation. “I am glad that they are looking into it,” Lopez told Fox News Digital. “It validates the concerns that many Chicagoans have had that Brandon Johnson is a mayor not for the entire city, but for only one demographic.”

• Lopez warned of the “tens of thousands” of public workers passed over for promotion or hiring due to their skin color.

• He criticized Johnson’s rhetoric as a “sad step backwards” that revives racial divisions many Americans thought they had left behind.

• He added that many Black residents are uncomfortable with Johnson’s race-first approach, fearing it devalues real talent.

“There are many well-qualified leaders… who now have been trivialized by his comments and are viewed through a lens of ‘they're just here because they're Black,’” Lopez said.

The DOJ’s investigation into Johnson’s hiring practices adds to a growing list of failures under his progressive administration. Johnson’s tenure has been marked by record crime, economic stagnation, and now, alleged civil rights violations. It’s a pattern that mirrors what many Democrat-run cities are experiencing leadership driven by ideology rather than competency or fairness.

Johnson, in typical fashion, played the victim card following the DOJ announcement, accusing his critics of operating from a “place of fear.” He said, “We have an administration that reflects the city of Chicago, but [critics] would much rather have administrations that reflect the country club.”

Translation: if you’re not on board with racial quotas, you must be an elitist.

But this isn’t about elitism it’s about the rule of law, merit-based governance, and equal opportunity for everyone. That’s the principle Americans should expect from any public office, especially in a major U.S. city.

The fact that the Biden DOJ not exactly known for going after progressive officials is opening a formal probe says a lot about how blatant and dangerous this policy may be.

Chicagoans deserve leadership that unites them, not one that divides the city by race while hiding behind virtue-signaling.

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