Name: Justice Dept. under Trump shifts focus to reverse discrimination
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T02:27:52.711Z
Duration: 2 min 12 s
Description: Since President Trump took office for the second time, his efforts to reshape the Justice Department have resulted in a new focus on so-called reverse discrimination. CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has the details.

Since President Trump took office for the second time, his efforts to reshape the Justice Department have resulted in a new focus on so-called reverse discrimination. CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has the details.

Washington

Since President Trump took office, the Justice Department has shifted its focus toward investigating alleged reverse discrimination, prioritizing claims by majority groups over minorities. This policy change aligns with President Trump's public statements suggesting that civil rights protections have sometimes resulted in discrimination against white people.

The move has sparked controversy, with civil rights organizations and former Justice Department officials questioning the legitimacy of reverse discrimination claims. Investigations have been launched into state governments such as Minnesota and Rhode Island, and the shift has reportedly led to a significant exodus of staff from the department's civil rights division.

Justice Dept. under Trump shifts focus to "reverse discrimination"

Since President Trump took office his efforts to reshape the Justice Department have resulted in a new focus on so-called reverse Discrimination that shift means more time and resources spent on alleged discrimination against majority groups as opposed to minorities This appears to fall in line with the president's thinking in an interview earlier this month with the New York Times reporter David Sanger Asked Trump Do you believe that the civil rights protections Americans had starting in the 60s and so forth? Resulted ultimately in the discrimination against white men the president responded Well, I think that a lot of people were very badly treated white people were very badly treated where they did extremely well And they were not invited to go into a university or a college CBS News justice correspondent Scott McFarland joins us now Scott. What is the Trump administration's focus on reverse discrimination look like in practice? just Declaring and acknowledging this focus is itself controversial the idea of reverse discrimination Doesn't hold water according to a number of civil rights organizations and some former members of the US Department of Justice But here's how it's manifested itself so far Lindsay There have been a couple of investigations launched of state governments for how they're hiring Allegedly for violating the law by trying to ensure diverse workforces saying that's discrimination against white people The states that have been targeted so far See if you can guess this one, Minnesota Which has been under scrutiny from the administration for several months now also the state of Rhode Island But I think in a more pernicious way according to civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and speaking with CBS News. They say Declaring reverse discrimination to be a problem gives credence to an idea that is dubious at best What reaction are you hearing? Otherwise? I think former members of the Department of Justice say this is going to cost them people that people who work for the civil rights division have Already been leaving in droves 75% of the staff of the civil rights division has exited in this first year of the second Trump term that could accelerate so long as They're prioritizing reverse discrimination Versus the things that the civil rights division has championed since the civil rights era since it was created in the mid 1960s ensuring equity diversity and safety for all people Scott McFarlane, thank you

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