The Justice Department's civil rights department said Monday it is opening an investigation into the city of Chicago after Mayor Brandon Johnson's comments on Sunday highlighted prominent black officials in his administration.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter to Johnson that she “authorized investigations” about whether Chicago was “engaging in Chicago’s model or discriminatory habits” after Johnson’s speech at the church on Sunday.

"If these recruitment decisions are made for top positions in your administration, it raises the question of whether such decisions are also made for lower positions," Dhillon wrote.

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In a speech at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson said that the Deputy Mayor, Chief Operating Officer, Budget Supervisor and others were all black. Johnson said some of his critics criticized him, saying the only thing he talked about was “hiring black people.”

"No, I mean, when you hire our staff, we're always looking for everyone else," he said.

He added: "Let people in my administration look for everyone's interests and everyone means you have to pay attention to the interests of black people because that doesn't happen. That's how we ensure sustainable growth over the long term."

Johnson also criticized the Trump administration's efforts to "destroy our history."

"Black people will be in this city and across the United States to protect this democracy and protect humanity because that's what black people have been doing," he said.

Johnson “prides itself on having the most diverse management in our city’s history,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

"Our administration reflects Chicago's diversity and value. Unfortunately, the current federal government has not reflected," the mayor's press office said.

Shortly after his second inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end what he called “radical and wasteful” offices of diversity, equity and inclusion, and federal agencies. He also ordered an investigation into recruitment practices, which he said may favor candidates based on their race or gender.

According to the mayor's office, white and black employees are the majority of employees, with 30.5% of employees identified as white and 34.3% of employees identified as black.

Johnson's office said it knew the Justice Department had sent a letter and was awaiting a formal receipt, and its corporate lawyers would then review it.

The civil rights department has undergone a major turn since Dhillon took over during Trump’s second term, with an official calling the attack set out “a complete bloody bathtub.”

From a broader perspective, the Justice Department aims at political enemies since Trump’s return to office. In January, the Justice Department said it had terminated several lawyers from the office of former special counsel Jack Smith, who played a role in Trump's handling of confidential documents and actions related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol Riot.

Trump issued an executive order to hunt down the main law firms involved in prosecution of him or his administration. He also authorized Attorney General Pam Bondi to recommend revoking the attorney’s security permit or ending a federal contract with the law firm if she filed a lawsuit against the government that is “unreasonable” or “annoying”.