House Speaker's Instagram Raises Questions About Diversity on Capitol Hill

Byand ABC News/Ben Siegel WTVD logo
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Photo of Capitol Hill interns
Photo of Capitol Hill interns
Speaker Paul Ryan/Instagram

House Speaker Paul Ryan's selfie with Capitol Hill interns is prompting a backlash on social media and raising questions about diversity on Capitol Hill.

The photo was posted over the weekend to his Instagram account and critics have noted that virtually all of the interns visible in the photo are white.

Ryan's office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on reactions to the photo. The House Democratic caucus and House GOP conference did not return requests for information about intern diversity in House offices.

Some Capitol Hill interns had their own response. One of them, Kennedy Edwards, a Durham native, sent ABC11 a picture of a large group of diverse interns on the steps of Capitol Hill. They said they have been taking and sharing pictures like this online to show that there is diversity in the program.

Kennedy Edwards

Capitol Hill internships are mostly unpaid.

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