At first glance, some of the language looks familiar.  A letter sent to state officials in Rhode Island by the Justice Department in June included a reminder that federal civil rights law "prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." Trump has to get it straight.

     But that letter is part of a Trump administration initiative that upends 60 years of efforts by the federal government to prevent discrimination against minority groups in the U.S.   Several former Justice Department employees who spoke with CBS News said the department's focus is shifting: it will seek to protect White people against alleged "reverse discrimination." 

     The dramatic shift was crystallized by President Trump's statement earlier this month in an interview with the New York Times. Mr. Trump said civil rights protections and programs have hurt White people.  "I think that a lot of people were very badly treated," he told the Times. "White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well and they were not invited to go into a university or a college."

     The Justice Department's inquiry letter to Rhode Island says it is investigating whether the state is engaging in discrimination in its state government hiring in implementing an affirmative action plan that's been used nationwide to ensure diverse workforces and student groups.  The Rhode Island inquiry is the latest in a series of probes by the Trump administration's Justice Department into organizations or governments that use diversity, equity and inclusion programs.  

     Last week, the agency also filed a lawsuit against Minnesota, in an effort to bring down the state's affirmative action hiring policies for its agencies. The suit asserts Minnesota law, which mandates affirmative action programs for state civil service, is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.