'Did DEI play a role?' House GOP lawmaker suggests diversity to blame for D.C. plane crash
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee suggested Thursday that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts could be to blame for a mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport that was suspected of killing more than 60 people Wednesday night.
In an interview on Fox Business News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Ogles to react to the tragedy as a House Homeland Security Committee member.
"Well, you know, at this time, you hate to jump to any conclusions," Ogles said. "Obviously, we'll look at everything, check all the boxes."
"Prayers go out to all those impacted," he continued. "But, you know, to your point, I think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened. You know, human error, was it some sort of equipment failure? Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?"
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DEI programs have been a major target of Republicans and the incoming Trump administration. However, there is no evidence that DEI efforts were to blame for the crash.