Black Caucus chair accuses Trump of 'purge' of 'minority' federal workers

close

Video

Rep. Troy Nehls calls for congressional oversight following DC plane crash

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, joins 'Fox & Friends' to share key takeaways from his conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board about the investigation into the collision between a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke has accused President Donald Trump of trying to "purge" non-White workers from the federal government.

"Our republic’s president, Donald Trump, chose to address a nation in mourning with only fiction and White supremacist ideologies," Clarke said during a Friday press conference in Brooklyn, New York.

"Yesterday, he spun that fiction for one reason and one reason alone, and that is to further his administration's purge of America's minority employees."

Her comments are in response to Trump’s press conference on the deadly midair collision in Washington, D.C., this week. A Black Hawk military helicopter crashed into an American Eagle passenger plane that was moments away from landing, likely killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

WATCHDOG SUES BIDEN AGENCY FOR RECORDS AS LAWMAKER CALLS ITS VOTER WORK ‘A SLAP IN THE FACE’

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke tore into President Donald Trump during a press conference Friday. (Getty Images)

Trump speculated whether diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts played a role in the tragedy during a press conference Thursday, though both he and other officials maintain the cause is not yet clear.

"It just could have been," Trump said when asked if he believed the crash was caused by diversity hiring. "We’ve had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brainpower. You have to go by psychological quality, and psychological quality is a very important element of it. These are various, very powerful tests that we put to use. And they were terminated by Biden."

He claimed former President Joe Biden "went by a standard that seeks the exact opposite."

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters about the deadly incident at Ronald Reagan National Airport. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

"But certainly, for an air traffic controller, we want the brightest, the smartest, the sharpest. We want somebody that’s psychologically superior. And that’s what we’re going to have," Trump said.

Investigations into the collision are still ongoing, and there currently is no evidence that points to DEI or other specific causes.

Though Trump did not mention race during his press conference, Clarke claimed Trump’s remarks were evidence of a "racist" agenda.

"We wait for the absolute truth of the matter. It is with great and righteous indignation that I recognize the comments and actions of one individual in particular, who did not attempt whatsoever to wait for those facts," Clarke said. 

"The individual who, rather than empathize with the families of the 67 victims of this heartbreaking disaster, attempt to unify a grieving country, or even offer his prayers, chose to capitalize on this tragedy by furthering his racist, insane agenda against America's diverse employees."

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport early Thursday morning on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

She later said, "He will continue with the vilification and demonization, he will continue with this madness, until our republic is as White and as male as this administration can bend and break the law to make it."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Democrats have hammered Trump for tying the collision to DEI policies under the last administration. 

Meanwhile, there are voices on the left pushing blame on Trump's aim to slash the federal workforce and other Republican policies.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Clarke's remarks.