by Brandon Jarvis
Democrats are attacking Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares over his recent letter to Costco urging them to end their DEI practices.
In the letter, signed by Miyares and 18 other attorneys general, they urge Costco to “end all unlawful discrimination imposed by the company through diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Although Costco’s motto is ‘do the right thing,’ it appears that the company is doing the wrong thing—clinging to DEI policies that courts and businesses have rejected as illegal.”
The letter cites a Supreme Court case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, and how the opinion stated, “Distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their very nature odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality.”
The Democratic Attorney General Association (DAGA) accused Miyares of not having his priorities straight.
“MAGA Miyares continues to put politics before people,” said Carolyn Fiddler, the communications director for DAGA. “His failure to call out the Trump administration for blatant violations of the law speaks to his proclivity for protecting Trump’s agenda while putting Virginians’ lives in danger. It’s clear Miyares has no interest in the well-being of the Commonwealth and is instead focused on fighting meaningless culture wars.”
The letter from Miyares urges Costco to end their DEI policies within 30 days or explain to his office why they haven’t.
Miyares is running for reelection to a second term this November.
Two Democrats, former Del. Jay Jones from Norfolk and Henrico Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor, are seeking the nomination to run against him.
“On the very same day that the Trump administration announced an Executive Order recklessly freezing federal loan and grants funding, Jason Miyares was too busy serving as Trump’s pro-bono attorney to fight to protect Virginians,” Jones said in a statement Thursday. “This spending freeze has already forced half of Virginia’s community health centers to pause operations, putting the health and paychecks of countless Virginia families at risk. Miyares is doing nothing to keep us safe, and Virginians deserve better.”
Taylor said she was not surprised by Miyares’ decision to sign this letter.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that Attorney General Miyares is singling out a private company instead of protecting Virginia families,” she said. “Miyares’ extreme allies are causing chaos, attempting to put thousands of Virginians out of work, and jeopardizing our privacy, financial security, and health care.”
Taylor also criticized him for remaining silent after President Trump pardoned individuals who were convicted for their actions on January 6.
“Miyares’ silence on the pardons of people who violently assaulted law enforcement officers on January 6th shows Virginia that he will always place politics above our safety.”
Miyares did not provide a comment for this story.