The New York Times filed a counterclaim Friday against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accusing the agency of retaliating against the publication for its reporting via a race- and gender-based discrimination lawsuit.
The countersuit follows an EEOC lawsuit filed in May on behalf of a White staffer, Bryant Rousseau, who claimed the Times had denied him a promotion to deputy editor on the basis of his race and gender.
The Times cast the EEOC’s action as politically motivated in its filing on Friday. The newspaper highlighted that the EEOC’s lawsuit came eight days after a Times report showed that staff at the agency said they were under pressure to pursue discrimination cases that “match (President Donald) Trump’s agenda” opposing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Shortly following its article on the EEOC, the Times reported that the agency was poised to sue after investigating a claim against the newspaper — later revealed to be Rousseau’s case. The EEOC sued the Times two days later.
Friday’s countersuit alleges that the EEOC’s lawsuit was filed even though the probe found “no evidence that race or sex was considered.”
