WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said it had launched an employment discrimination probe into George Mason University in Virginia, making it the latest college to be targeted by the Trump administration.
The civil rights probe will examine whether George Mason, a state university, "is engaged in discriminatory practices" based on race and sex, the department said.
It said the investigation was spawned by comments made by George Mason's president and policies "which indicate that race and sex are motivating factors in faculty hiring" in order to achieve diversity goals.
A spokesperson for George Mason could not be immediately reached for comment.
The probe is the latest move against colleges and universities by President Donald Trump's administration, which has also launched investigations into campus antisemitism and has sought to freeze research funding undefined."
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, led by Trump appointee Harmeet Dhillon, has launched a number of employment discrimination probes into college campuses over diversity, equity and inclusion policies, including one at the University of California.
Last month, the president of the University of Virginia resigned after facing pressure from the Trump administration over DEI policies.
George Mason was already facing other civil rights investigations over its DEI practices.
The U.S. Department of Education this month said it had opened a probe into potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination in U.S. education programs that receive federal funding.
In a statement on July 16, George Mason's President Gregory Washington announced that the school had been hit with a second notice of investigation by the Department of Education - this time related to faculty hiring. He said the school would cooperate with the government and that the board had retained Torridon Law firm to represent the university. Torridon was founded by former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served during Trump's first term.
"No academic units mandate outcomes based on race, color, national origin, sex or any other characteristic protected by law," he said.
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