I risked my life serving my country in Iraq, but now I’ve lost my job at a bank over a crackdown on ‘white supremacy’

A white male Iraq War veteran is suing a top US bank, saying he was pushed aside in favor of less qualified candidates in an aggressive push to hire for diversity.

Chris Smith says Ally Financial ignored his two decades of experience in security and intelligence work and gave the job he wanted to an ex-Walmart employee because she was a woman.

He was given a junior role in the North Carolina but was then pushed aside by a boss who railed against “white supremacy,” was treated unfairly and ultimately resigned within weeks, he says.

It’s the newest court case from America First Legal (AFL), a campaign group led by former Trump administration officials that combats diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the US.

Advocates of DEI say it helps get more women and minorities into colleges and workplaces, but critics say it ultimately hurts straight, white men.

Chris Smith was only offered the most junior job on Ally’s threat team despite his decades of experience

Ally Financial, an $8 billion annual bank holding company headquartered in Detroit, Michigandid not return DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

“Federal law is clear: no discrimination means no discrimination,” said AFL attorney Gene Hamilton.

“No American should ever face discrimination based on race or gender, and we will fight to achieve justice for our client.”

The case was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Smith, a former Navy and Army intelligence officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has two decades of security experience, applied for three positions in Ally’s newly created “threat division” unit in 2023.

He was offered and accepted the lowest-paying role as a security analyst, with an income of approximately $75,000 per year.

Ally hired Rachel Stuckey, a white woman who had worked at Walmart for the past four years, as a team manager.

Stuckey also had a year of counter-terrorism experience in Israel.

Smith says Stuckey was hired “because of her gender” so the bank could meet DEI goals.

Ally also hired a less qualified black woman and a black man in senior analyst roles over Smith, despite his greater experience, it is alleged.

When he started working in the Charlotte office in September 2023, Smith said he faced further discrimination.

He didn’t get proper recognition for his work, he says.

His teammates were sent to training, could work from home and were given parking spaces near the office, but Smith was not.

He was also abused by Ally executive Bruce Bellamy, who was “fixated on DEI,” court documents allege.

Smith says he had to work five days a week in Ally’s Charlotte office while colleagues were allowed to work remotely

Ally has aggressive hiring diversity goals, according to America First Legal filings

Ally boss Bruce Bellamy says the bank’s most serious threats were ‘white supremacists, anti-DEI groups and anti-woke groups’

Bellamy said the most serious threats to the bank’s security were “white supremacists, anti-DEI groups and anti-woke groups.”

When Smith disagreed, the boss “took particular umbrage at a white man questioning his views,” it is alleged.

Bellamy and Stuckey “isolated Smith from other Ally employees, refused to credit him for his work product and placed significant barriers to his ability to perform his duties, which harmed his performance,” the papers say.

AFL lawyer Gene Hamilton

The “differential and negative treatment … was motivated by Smith’s race and gender,” they add.

Smith quit on September 18 and has struggled to find paid work since.

The 20-page lawsuit alleges that Ally violated the race and sex protections of the Civil Rights Act.

Smith is seeking a jury trial, damages and payment of his legal fees.

Ally did not comment on the lawsuit.

The company has a strict DEI policy and says it is working hard to build a “diverse and talented team.”

The distribution between men and women is almost equal, says Ally.

“We have increased or maintained the representation of women and people of color in our managerial and senior positions, and redesigned programs to create more opportunities for individuals new to their roles in the company,” Ally said in a recent report .

The case is part of a growing number of lawsuits and filings against DEI practices since the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling in June 2023 to end affirmative action in college admissions.

AFL, which is led by former President Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller, has filed more than 15 lawsuits and more than 30 complaints with a US civil rights agency.

Lawsuits have alleged that hiring and recruitment decisions surrounding both jobs and fellowships at major companies are biased against white workers.

“Major corporations in the United States have… programs and policies that blatantly discriminate against American citizens because of the things they cannot control,” AFL’s Hamilton said.

Advocates of DEI programs say they bring more Black, brown, female and queer talent to offices and colleges and boost morale across the board.

But critics say it’s a “woke” virtue-signalling exercise that promotes discrimination against straight, white men.