The White House brushed aside mounting questions about controversial green jobs czar Van Jones on Friday, even as congressional Republicans demanded Jones's resignation and some prominent Democrats urged the president to fire the outspoken aide if he has not resigned before next week's Joint Session of Congress. Mike Pence of Indiana became the first lawmaker to call for the resignation of President Obama's "green jobs" adviser over new revelations about his past affiliations and statements. Pence also called on Obama to suspend appointment of additional so-called "czars" until Congress has a chance to examine the background and responsibilities of such individuals, as well as to determine the constitutionality of such appointments. Senator Kit Bond R-Mo. A veteran of nearly political campaigns, Beckel said President Obama cannot afford the distractions created by Jones as the chief executive prepares to address a Joint Session of Congress on health care reform next Wednesday. Specifically, Beckel cited the potential, as long as Jones remains on the White House staff, for Republicans to brand Obama's reform ideas "radical.
Former Green Jobs Czar Identifies With Shirley Sherrod : NPR
White House green jobs adviser Van Jones resigned in the middle of the Labor Day weekend following persistent controversy over his past remarks and associations. Jones, who served as an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, had generated mounting criticism over the past week. The latter development, which came on top of several others, was perhaps the most devastating and led to calls for his resignation. In a sharply worded statement, Jones said the controversy had become an unceasing distraction and assailed his critics. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide," Jones said. He said he had been "inundated" with calls from supporters urging him to "stay and fight.
Former Green Jobs Czar Identifies With Shirley Sherrod
Van Jones, the former White House adviser for green jobs, says he can personally relate to Shirley Sherrod, the former USDA official who was forced to resign last week after her comments about overcoming racial prejudice were taken out of context. Both individuals resigned from the Obama administration amid strong political pressures. Host Michel Martin talks to Jones about the parallels he sees between his highly publicized resignation in and Sherrod's, and what he's learned since leaving the White House.
Van Jones, who was Obama's "green jobs tsar", has been the subject of a campaign by conservatives ever since they uncovered a video from last year in which he described Republicans as "assholes". The public airing of such a view is awkward for Obama at a time when he is trying to win over Republicans in support of health and energy reforms. Jones, a West Coast civil rights activist and environmentalist who had been in the administration since March, announced his resignation through the White House shortly after midnight on Saturday. He said that he had been the victim of a "smear campaign" and did not want to be a distraction from Obama's ambitious political agenda.