The Leadership Conference Condemns the Appointment of Craig Trainor to be Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:

“Craig Trainor is unfit to lead the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division. Every action he’s taken since joining the administration has stood against the principles of equality and justice for all.

“Trainor is the architect of the administration’s attacks on civil rights and the programs made to implement them. Last year while working for the Department of Education, Trainor threatened schools and universities that if they had diversity, equity, and inclusion programs — which foster greater understanding of different cultures and prevent discrimination, bullying, and more — they would lose federal funding. The courts shut the threat down, but that stopgap did not create contrition.

“During Trainor’s time at the Department of Housing and Urban Development he played a key role in the department’s war against enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, despite the need to prevent discrimination and segregation in housing and related programs.

“Trainor’s record shows the American people how he will use the power of the DOJ as a weapon against our civil rights, rather than a shield to protect people whose rights are being violated. With a boss like U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is also wholly unfit for his position, Trainor will be empowered in his attacks on our communities and will continue to weaponize, rather than enforce, civil rights laws.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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