Ambassador Ric Grenell told federal, state, and local leaders that he would not tolerate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria slowing down the process of cleaning up and rebuilding after L.A. fires.

“That bulls**t can’t happen,” Grenell said, saying that he had heard that subcontractors for debris removal were being delayed because they were trying to find “the right mix” in terms of DEI requirements, slowing down the process.

“If we hear about specific instances, we’re going to highlight them,” he warned. “That bullshit can’t happen, okay? We want people who can get here and remove things. I don’t care about the color of their skin, I don’t care if they’re in a wheelchair. We want people to be able to do the job and get it done, and not hold up because we have some quota system.”

He said those who were insisting on such criteria should just “get out of the way” of rebuilding the area.