Dem senator's hiring announcement sparks GOP eruption over who is encouraged to apply: 'Blatantly illegal'

A Democratic senator is facing accusations of racial and sexual discrimination over a controversial social media post encouraging members of minority groups to apply for a role in his office.

"I’m hiring motivated and eager interns for the Spring 2027 semester in my Boston office. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, working class, veterans and other underrepresented candidates with Massachusetts ties are encouraged to apply," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., posted to X on Tuesday.

"Are white men allowed to apply, Senator?" Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, shot back on X Tuesday.

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U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) looks on during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

Conservatives on X erupted with anger over the post, with some going as far as to claim the senator’s job posting was illegal.

"Crazy that a United States Senator can openly violate civil rights law on Twitter," conservative activist Chris Rufo wrote.

"This is blatantly illegal," Katie Miller, podcaster and wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, wrote.

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Sen. Ed Markey, the more progressive of the two candidates, has the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn Civic Action)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has stated in past guidance that encouraging applicants from certain backgrounds to apply for a job does not necessarily violate federal discrimination law. However, the agency also warns that job advertisements expressing preferences based on race, sex or other protected characteristics may be unlawful.

The Congressional Accountability Act also applies federal workplace discrimination protections to congressional offices.

The actual job posting on Markey’s Senate website does not bar White people from applying, despite questions raised by Gill and others about whether certain applicants were being favored.

Other conservatives stopped short of accusing Markey of breaking the law, but characterized his hiring practices as unjust nonetheless.

"You'll notice it's never ‘I'm resigning my Senate seat because white men have too much power’ or 'I'm donating my house to reduce the racial wealth gap,’" online commentator Bernard Stanford wrote. "That would at least be a personal decision. But no — the white male sacrificial burden is always foisted upon someone else."

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SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler hit back at Democratic Sen. Ed Markey on Tuesday after he accused the SBA of raising a "Christian nationalist" flag over its headquarters to honor Flag Day. (Getty Images)

"Democrats will write stuff like this and then wonder why young white straight men have rejected their party in droves," journalist Corey Walker said.

"This is disturbing, especially from the Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee," Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler posted to her X account. "From day one we’ve said it: politicians need to stop picking winners and losers — and stop turning every government program into a DEI grift. America’s entrepreneurs compete on merit, not identity. That principle should be nonnegotiable for anyone entrusted with shaping our nation’s small business policy."

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Markey’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.