(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Last week, the Justice Department sued Elon Musk’s SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against asylees and refugees.
The case was already loaded in irony as soon as it was filed, as the DOJ itself advertises specifically for U.S. citizens—a fact that didn’t escape Musk.
DOJ needs to sue themselves! https://t.co/TuugrdtYut
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2023
But then, it was revealed that the DOJ’s lead attorney suing SpaceX is none other than its Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Kristen Clarke, who was an avowed black supremacist while attending Harvard University.
Political writer Max Meyer dredged up Clarke’s racist background, including when she wrote that “melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities.”
Musk also poked fun at the fact that he’s getting sued for discrimination by a black supremacist.
She is super racist and proud of it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2023
While the SpaceX founder was seemingly making light of the DOJ’s case, it was no laughing matter for GOP lawmakers who view the lawsuit as retaliation against Musk. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote to the Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, requesting that he produce a slew of documents about the case.
“[The DOJ] filed a lawsuit against Space Exploration Technologies Corp., otherwise known as ‘SpaceX,’ for complying with federal law,” Gaetz said emphatically in a Monday press release.
“The vast majority of Americans would see Elon Musk as a patriot seeking to pay higher wages and protect sensitive defense-contracting work from foreign theft.”
Gaetz seeks from Garland an exhaustive list of all laws, regulations, executive orders and contracts that DOJ has reviewed in connection with this case, as well as a sworn statement from the attorney general sworn that no law, regulation or contract prohibits producers of sensitive, military-grade dual-use technology from hiring asylees or refugees.
Additionally, Gaetz asked Garland to make himself available for congressional testimony about the matter on Sept. 20.
The DOJ’s lawsuit claims that SpaceX’s job postings and public statements for several years incorrectly claimed that under federal regulations known as “export control laws,” the company could hire only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, or “green card holders.”
“Our investigation also found that SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company,” Clarke said last week.
Prosecutors seek fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment.
The government also seeks civil penalties, according to the lawsuit.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
