Nothing's wrong with a black mayor boasting of hiring blacks for senior positions in his administration in order to look out for the interests of "our people."
After all, civil rights laws are on the books only to protect "minority groups." Non-minorities being the victims of discrimination?
That is the apparent position of New York Times podcaster Lulu Garcia-Navarro. She was part of Tuesday's CNN This Morning panel reacting to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's comments on his hires, and the ensuing DOJ investigation into them.
Panelist Michael Warren of The Dispatch said: "I think the mayor shouldn't be talking about it sort of so casually . . .It's probably not a good way for the chief executive of the city to be talking about hiring practices in that way."
Garcia-Navarro plaintively injected, "Why not?"
Garcia-Navarro continued:
"Part of the problem is that this DOJ is looking for these moments to make these cause celebs to talk about its main priority, which is DEI. Let's not forget that a civil rights investigation used to be about empowering minority groups, people that were discriminated against. And now what we're seeing is exactly the opposite."
Question for Garcia-Navarro: isn't governmental racial discrimination wrong, no matter who is being discriminated against? The Left believes in what David Horowitz called "affirmative discrimination."
CNN didn't even get into this piece of the mayor's statement: "When you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else. We are the most generous people on the planet."
Note: There were what you might call two points of light during the discussion.
First, host Audie Cornish described Mayor Johnson as coming from "a very left, progressive background." Rare to hear a member of the liberal media describe anyone as far, or very, left. Usually, extremists are found only on the right.
Panelist Jerusalem Demsas of The Atlantic was born in Ethiopia to Eritrean parents. She said that although the Trump Justice Department is trying to prioritize DEI investigations:
"At the same time, when you ask and you poll African Americans even about affirmative action, they don't like this kind of rhetoric. They don't like the idea that what's happening is, they're being handed jobs because of their race."
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
5/20/25
6:32 am EDTAUDIE CORNISH: On to another DOJ investigation. They're actually now looking into the Chicago mayor's hiring process. It comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson made this statement emphasizing the race of the officials and his administration.
BRANDON JOHNSON: Budget director is a black woman. Senior advisor is a black man. And I'm laying that out because when you ask how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business, having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interest of black folks because that hasn't happened, that's how we ensure long-term sustainable growth.
CORNISH: An assistant attorney general says in part, if this is happening at the top level of the mayor's administration, then what's happening at the lower levels?
The group chat is back to talk about this. This is a very interesting case, because this mayor is running for reelection. So like sitting at a church, it is not an unusual place to be.
He's also a former labor organizer and he comes from that background, right? A very left, progressive background.
. . .
How do you see this? Because this is not just about Chicago. It's also about this Justice Department and how it approaches the idea of civil rights.
MICHAEL WARREN: Look, I think the mayor shouldn't be talking about it sort of so casually in this way, no matter who's in charge of the Justice Department.
CORNISH: Do you think that's because of the political atmosphere right now? Like in 2022, would you have been like, what?
WARREN: Maybe it wouldn't have been remarkable in 2022. It would have been sort of normal. But I think just as a normative matter, it's probably not a good way for the chief executive of the city to be talking about hiring practices in that way. But regardless of who's in charge at DOJ --
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO: But why?
WARREN: Well, I think he's going to bring a lot of heat from exactly what we're seeing, like this from DOJ.
But the important point I want to make is that I think this Justice Department is looking for moments like this to jump onto. They're looking for moments that are going viral online and trying to make --
GARCIA-NAVARRO: On the right. And this is part of the problem. Part of the problem is that this DOJ is looking for these moments --
WARREN: Yes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: -- to make these cause celebs to talk about its main priority, which is DEI.
Let's not forget that a civil rights investigation used to be about empowering minority groups, people that were discriminated against. And now what we're seeing is exactly the opposite. If someone actually says, I've hired black people, a black mayor saying I've hired black people, 35 percent, to I think it's 25 percent is white. It reflects actually the demographics of the city, his his administration. I just think that we should be worried about that. That is a political --
JERUSALEM DESMAS: I think both things can be true. It's clearly the case that the DOJ is trying to weaponize this because it's a political priority to make this more salient, to make this DEI thing more salient.
But at the same time, when you ask and you poll African Americans even about affirmative action, they don't like this kind of rhetoric. They don't like the idea that what's happening is, they're being handed jobs because of their race.
Not saying that's exactly what the mayor was implying, but it does kind of --
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I agree, but then punish him politically. I mean, it looks like he's going to be voted out. Why are you opening an investigation from the federal government?
