Justice Department To Target College Affirmative Action

>> KRISTEN, I'LL SEE YOU OVER IN THE OFFICE IN JUST A BIT.
>>> ALSO WATCH NEW DEVELOPMENTS COMING OUT OF THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TODAY. ONE OF THE FOLKS JOINING US ON
SET CHARLIE IS BREAKING NEWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS PUTTING A
NEW INITIATIVE INTO MOTION. TARGETING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS. SO, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THIS REPORT
A DOJ SPOKESPERSON TELLS NBC NEWS THEY DO NOT CONFIRM OR DENY
ANY ONGOING INVESTIGATION AND THAT THE INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT
CITED BY THE TIMES IS NOT A NEW POLICY OR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT.
TOM DUPREE JOINS THE PANEL TO DISCUSS.
CHARLIE IS BACK WITH US ALONG WITH JILL.
CHARLIE, WE HAVE TO GO TO YOU FIRST.
YOUR SCOOP, YOUR STORY. WALK US THROUGH THE NUTS AND
BOLTS OF WHAT THIS MEANS AND WHAT THIS DOES.
>> SURE. WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS THAT
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION IS ASKING
CURRENT ATTORNEYS WHO ALREADY WORKED THERE ON OTHER PROJECTS
WHETHER THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WORKING ON A NEW PROJECT
THAT'S GOING TO BE RUN BY THE POLITICAL APPOINTEES OUT OF THE
FRONT OFFICE. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION POLITICAL
APPOINTEES. THAT WOULD INVOLVE AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION AND REVIEWING POLICIES AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS THAT MAY
BE DEEMED TO DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE.
USUALLY, AN ANTI-DISCRIMINATION EFFORT IN TARGETING A UNIVERSITY
OR A SCHOOL WOULD BE RUN OUT OF A SPECIAL SECTION.
THE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY SECTION WHICH IS RUN BY CAREER
CIVIL SERVANTS WHO STAY ON AND ONE THING THAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT
THIS IS IT IS RUN OUT OF THE FRONT OFFICE.
IT APPEARS TO BE A NEW INITIATIVE AND THEY'RE TRYING TO
REDIRECT SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY WORKING ON OTHER THINGS
TO GO AFTER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES THAT, IN THEIR VIEW, AT
LEAST, GO TOO FAR AND CROSS THE BLURRY LINE THE SUPREME COURT
HAS DRAWN BETWEEN EFFORTS TO HELP MAINTAIN DIVERSITY ON
CAMPUSES THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE, THAT HAVE TO BE SORT OF HOLISTIC
AND NOT MECHANICAL AND PUT TOO MUCH ON THE THUMB THAT MIGHT
SCORE. >> TOM, YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. WHAT DOES IT SAY TO YOU WHEN YOU
LOOK AT CHARLIE'S REPORTING THAT THIS IS RUN OUT OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS FRONT OFFICE AND NOT THE OTHER OFFICE HE IS TALKING
ABOUT. >> IT TELLS ME A NEW SHERIFF IN
TOWN. IT SHOULD NOT SURPRISE ANYONE
THAT THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION BOTH WE'RE SEEING UNDER
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN ONE OF THE AREAS OF THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT THAT FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE HAS BEEN POLITICIZED
AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN SOME SENSE UNDERSTANDABLE AND YOU
HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OR
REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THEY'RE SHIFTING THE ENFORCEMENT
LENS A BIT. TYPICAL CASES THAT WERE BROUGHT
UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ARE NOT AN ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY
FOR TRUMP AND PUTTING A SPOTLIGHT IN A DIFFERENT AREA.
>> BOTTOM LINE, IS THIS A LEGAL MOVE OR A POLITICAL ONE?
>> IT'S A LEGAL MOVE. ONE THAT IS INFORMED BY
POLITICAL JUDGMENTS. >> IT'S BOTH.
PART OF IT GOES TO THE FACT THAT THE SUPREME COURT HAS NOT SPOKEN
CLEARLY IN THIS AREA ABOUT WHAT UNIVERSITIES CAN AND CANNOT DO
IN THIS AREA. I THINK THAT GIVES A FAIR AMOUNT
OF DISCRETION TO LOOK AT PROGRAMS AND SAY, IN OUR VIEW,
THIS MIGHT CROSS THE LINE. >> CHARLIE, WHAT IS THE REACTION
TO THE DOJ ON THIS BASED ON YOUR SOURCES?
>> THE BURE OCACY AND THE CIVIL
SERVICE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE THROUGHOUT AND CHOOSE TO WORK IN
THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION AND THEY'RE LARGELY LIBERAL SAW THIS
INITIATIVE COMING AND WERE AGHAST.
THIS IS NOT WHAT THE CIVIL RIGHT DIVISION IS HERE TO DO.
>> VOTING RIGHTS -- >> WE'VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE.
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THIS AGENCY, IN PARTICULAR, IS A PLACE THAT
IS FREQUENTLY THE SUBJECT OF CULTURE WAR BATTLES WHEN A
REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION REPLACES A DEMOCRATIC ONE AND
THEN WHEN A DEMOCRATIC ONE REPLACES A REPUBLICAN ONE.
SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE POINTS I'VE BEEN MAKING IS IN THE LAST
150 DAYS WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON BIZARRE THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP AND THE SORT OF MENAGERIE OF
PEOPLE AROUND HIM ARE DOING ODD THINGS.
THIS IS NOT, I THINK, NECESSARILY ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN UNDER ANY REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENT AND CERTAINLY UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH AND ALSO

Justice Department To Target College Affirmative Action | MSNBC

Latest Posts