Trump’s Justice Department probes Google, Verizon over DEI policies, citing fraud law: report

The Trump administration is stepping up its war on DEI, reportedly launching probes about the use of diversity initiatives in hiring and promotion at companies including Google and Verizon.

The Justice Department’s investigations come under the aegis of the False Claims Act, a statute traditionally used to recover money from companies that overbill the government or inflate the cost of services rendered, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche outlined the initiative in a May memo that directed DOJ officials “to investigate and, as appropriate, pursue claims against any recipient of federal funds” that based its hiring policies on DEI, according to The Journal.

The effort is part of a broader DOJ push to use the False Claims Act as a civil rights enforcement tool, a significant expansion of a law historically aimed at…