Wow, I didn't see this one coming...
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's adviser Van Jones has resigned amid controversy over past inflammatory statements, the White House said early Sunday.
Van Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly "green jobs" with the White House Council on Environmental Quality was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the 2001 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.
The resignation comes as Obama is working to regain his footing in the contentious health care debate.
Jones issued an apology on Thursday for his past statements. When asked the next day whether Obama still had confidence in him, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said only that Jones "continues to work in the administration."
Below is the letter that Van Jones sent to chair Nancy Sutley:
I am resigning my post at the Council on Environmental Quality, effective today.
On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide.
On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide.
I have been inundated with calls - from across the political spectrum - urging me to “stay and fight.”
But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future.
It has been a great honor to serve my country and my President in this capacity. I thank everyone who has offered support and encouragement. I am proud to have been able to make a contribution to the clean energy future. I will continue to do so, in the months and years ahead.
On a side note: the former employer of Van Jones proves Beck fabricates facts.
On a side note: the former employer of Van Jones proves Beck fabricates facts.
Examiner:
The person who first hired Van Jones as a legal intern and later as legal fellow, Eva Patterson, is uniquely positioned to know that Beck is “fabricating his facts” to sway an unwitting public against Jones through a media dirty trick typically used by counterintelligence.
Robert Shetterly' "Americans Who Tell The Truth" portrait and quote collection features Patterson with other prominent Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Zinn, and Father Roy Beorgeois.
Facts presented by Patterson include:
* Van has never served time in any prison nor has been convicted of any crime.
* Van was hired by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair to work on her staff as a "special advisor." (No mysterious 'czar")
* Department of Labor has authority over the program with normal rules governing funds.About the LA accusations, Patterson writes: “Van was not even in Los Angeles during those tumultuous days. I know because he was working for me -- in San Francisco -- when the four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. I was the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area when Van was an intern.”
Patterson presents the following true story, The True Story (From Someone Who Was There)
“This is what really happened. On May 8, 1992, the week AFTER the Rodney King disturbances,
I sent a staff attorney and Van out to be legal monitors at a peaceful march in San Francisco. The local police, perhaps understandably nervous, stopped the march and arrested hundreds of people -- including all the legal monitors."
"The matter was quickly sorted out; Van and my staff attorney were released within a few hours. All charges against them were dropped. Van was part of a successful class action lawsuit later; the City of San Francisco ultimately compensated him financially for his unjust arrest (a rare outcome)."
The unwarranted arrest at a peaceful march charges were dropped and Van was financially compensated.'
And notice that the media has been silenced about this Van Jones' contraversy comments and Fox News has been full force on this story to attack Van Jones. It is clearly that Van Jones is a threat to the right wing. And Beck gave distorted information about Van Jones' realtionship to Color of Change organization. Beck was right that Van Jones is the co-founder of the organization. However, according to the website, Van Jones has been inactive with the organization for quite some time which tells you that he is not involved in the campaign launched by Color of Change for advertisers to stop advertising on Beck's show. But, it doesn't matter to Beck and Fox News: Van Jones is affilitated with Color of Change.
Finally, here is a You Tube video of Van Jones giving an opening statement with content and eloquent delivery for Chairman Markey Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing, "Stimulus Package and Energy: Creating Jobs, Opportunities for All". He received applause and praise from the committee as well as the chairman:
The person who first hired Van Jones as a legal intern and later as legal fellow, Eva Patterson, is uniquely positioned to know that Beck is “fabricating his facts” to sway an unwitting public against Jones through a media dirty trick typically used by counterintelligence.
Robert Shetterly' "Americans Who Tell The Truth" portrait and quote collection features Patterson with other prominent Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Zinn, and Father Roy Beorgeois.
Facts presented by Patterson include:
* Van has never served time in any prison nor has been convicted of any crime.
* Van was hired by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair to work on her staff as a "special advisor." (No mysterious 'czar")
* Department of Labor has authority over the program with normal rules governing funds.About the LA accusations, Patterson writes: “Van was not even in Los Angeles during those tumultuous days. I know because he was working for me -- in San Francisco -- when the four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. I was the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area when Van was an intern.”
Patterson presents the following true story, The True Story (From Someone Who Was There)
“This is what really happened. On May 8, 1992, the week AFTER the Rodney King disturbances,
I sent a staff attorney and Van out to be legal monitors at a peaceful march in San Francisco. The local police, perhaps understandably nervous, stopped the march and arrested hundreds of people -- including all the legal monitors."
"The matter was quickly sorted out; Van and my staff attorney were released within a few hours. All charges against them were dropped. Van was part of a successful class action lawsuit later; the City of San Francisco ultimately compensated him financially for his unjust arrest (a rare outcome)."
The unwarranted arrest at a peaceful march charges were dropped and Van was financially compensated.'
And notice that the media has been silenced about this Van Jones' contraversy comments and Fox News has been full force on this story to attack Van Jones. It is clearly that Van Jones is a threat to the right wing. And Beck gave distorted information about Van Jones' realtionship to Color of Change organization. Beck was right that Van Jones is the co-founder of the organization. However, according to the website, Van Jones has been inactive with the organization for quite some time which tells you that he is not involved in the campaign launched by Color of Change for advertisers to stop advertising on Beck's show. But, it doesn't matter to Beck and Fox News: Van Jones is affilitated with Color of Change.
Finally, here is a You Tube video of Van Jones giving an opening statement with content and eloquent delivery for Chairman Markey Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing, "Stimulus Package and Energy: Creating Jobs, Opportunities for All". He received applause and praise from the committee as well as the chairman:
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