Republicans Rush to Defend Trump's Claim that DCA Plane Crash Was Caused By 'DEI'

Republicans are supporting President Donald Trump's claims that Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines commercial aircraft and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Washington, D.C. was caused by diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies implemented at the Federal Aviation Administration.

During a press conference on Thursday, Trump blamed the crash, which saw 67 killed in the deadliest aviation accident in the U.S. since 2009, on DEI policies implemented by previous presidential administrations, reported CBS News.

"I put safety first, (former Presidents Barack) Obama, (Joe) Biden and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I had to say that it's terrible."

Trump discussed an alleged incident in which a group within the FAA "determined that the [FAA] workforce was too white, that they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change it and change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration, just prior to my getting there, and we took care of African Americans, Hispanic Americans."

"We don't know," Trump continued when asked why he believed the crash was a result of DEI policies within recruitment. "It just could have been. We have a high standard. We've had a higher, much higher standard than anybody else."

Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles quickly followed the President's lead, questioning the potential causes of the crash.

"I think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened," Ogles said on Fox Business. "Human error. Was it some sort of equipment failure? Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?"

Speaking with Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo, Ogles said he would "hate to jump to conclusions" regarding the crash. "Obviously, we'll look at everything, check all the boxes," he said.

"It's been a number of years since we've had an aircraft collision such as this. And so again, prayers for all those impacted," he added.

Originally published by Latin Times.