‘Squad’ Congresswoman Loses It After Scott Jennings Calls Out DEI In LAFD

As the Los Angeles wildfires head into their second day of an out-of-control spread, questions are being raised about aggressive efforts by the city’s politicians to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in their fire department. The LAFD is one of the nation’s largest fire departments.

Scott Jennings, CNN’s best-known conservative commentator, got a rise out of Jamie Crockett (D-TX), the “Squad” Democratic congresswoman from Texas, when he cited recent revelations that the Los Angeles mayor sought to appoint an entirely LGBTQ leadership atop the Los Angeles Fire Department. “You may recall news stories from last year… that said there were too many white men who were firefighters in California, and we need to have a program in California to make sure we don’t have enough white men as firefighters,” Jennings said before a live panel of guests exploded in squawking. “We have DEI, we have budget cuts,” Jennings said as he attempted to raise his voice over objections, “and yet I’m wondering now if your house is burning down, how much do you care what color the firefighters are?”

Conservatives have singled out L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who is lesbian, as well as L.A. Mayor Karen Bass for what they say is a concerted effort to place DEI policies ahead of fire prevention measures in the wake of devastating wildfires that have so far killed five across Los Angeles County and destroyed more than 2,000 homes, buildings, and other structures. Megyn Kelly joined Jennings in condemning the LAFD for bending the knee to Crowley and Bass one year before the fires began. “In recent years, LA’s fire chief has made not filling the fire hydrants [her] top priority, but diversity,” Kelly said in disbelief on her show Wednesday. “Diversity is at least among the top priorities for the department.” She referenced local news reports where firefighters have claimed they’ve run into fire hydrants that have run dry. “Who gives a s–t if the fire chief is gay. I’m sorry but who gives a flying fig about who she likes to sleep with, can you fight the f–king fires, madam? That’s the relevant question,” Kelly fumed. “Can you fight fires? Can you make sure there’s water in the fire hydrants?”

According to Crockett, the Democrat who called Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) a “butch,” decrying DEI at the LAFD is a red herring. “I am so tired, you know what? There was an article that just came out that said actually, the most educated demographic in this country right now is Black women. So let me be clear: Because you are a woman or, because I know the right has been sharing some of these photos of the fact that the fire chief, I believe, may be a woman, that has nothing to do with it. We are looking at qualifications where diversity, equity, and inclusion has always been about is saying you know what? Open this up. Don’t just look at the white men, open this up and realize other people can be qualified. The fact is, when people decide at a time when people are dying that a country of immigrants is failing or people are dying because the same very people that built this country – and the last time I checked, y’all didn’t say anything was wrong with the White House, and I can promise you it was my ancestors that built the White House.”

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This is the fire chief, assistant chief, and training commander in Los Angeles Fire Department pic.twitter.com/GLkHT7pg18

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 8, 2025

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday rushed to condemn wildfire containment efforts, blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Bass for failing to honor a water-sharing agreement his administration brokered in 2019, only to see it revised after concerns were raised by environmental groups. On Wednesday members of the national media cornered Mayor Bass as she returned from an overseas vacation, pummeling her with questions about Trump’s criticism and $17 million in cuts to the LAFD’s 2024 budget. Bass looked down, silent, before shuffling past cameras into the LAX terminal.

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