The (Non) Vetting Of Van Jones
Even the media is now noticing that Van Jones was a real problem for the White House – after the fact, but it helps explain this whole incident to those who have not been following the whole Jones affair. And it paints Obama’s vetting operation in a very, very bad light.
A White House official told me yesterday that Van Jones “was not as thoroughly vetted as other administration officials,” and specified to the Times that Jones “did not go through the traditional vetting process for administration officials who must be confirmed by the Senate.”
But many, many officials, from relatively obscure advisers like Jones to the most powerful White House staffers, aren’t confirmed by the Senate, and the suggestion that serious vetting didn’t extend to Jones’s level has raised some eyebrows from past White House officials.
Do go read the whole thing. Then look at this revelation from Fox News.
Van Jones, the Obama green jobs czar who resigned shortly after midnight Sunday, did not fill out the exhaustive questionnaire White House officials required of every Cabinet-level secretary and deputy-secretary position.
An administration official said special advisers to the president, or czars, are not required to fill out the questionnaire that runs 7 pages and contains 63 questions…..
….Question 61 reads as follows: “Have you had any association with any person, group or business venture that could be used – even unfairly – to impugn or attack your character and qualifications for government service?”
Which mirrors the other link and the questions it raises.
If the Obama White House thinks the midnight under-the-bus departure of Van Jones silenced criticism of the appointment of a communist, troofer-trash adviser, they are in for a surprise. The media has belatedly realized something is very wrong here.
Who let this guy in? Names need to be named.
UPDATE: AllahPundit is taking no prisoners.
By Phineas, September 7, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
Like Allahpundit, I can’t believe Jones wasn’t vetted. Everyone who gets into the White House for whatever reason goes through a background check – everyone. I’m certain the WH knew and I’m equally certain that someone (Emanuel? Jarrett?) overrode FBI objections.
By Plumpplumber(balding), September 8, 2009 @ 8:32 am
Folks, we’ve got to come to an agreement on terms. The word czar is misleading. Obama is using the tried and true communist method of commissar. The function of a commissar is to ensure political reliability. This system CANNOT function with a intact, functioning free press. Twitter is great. Just got started on it. @killerwhale Lets call things what they are – Obama is a communist, and he’s striving mightily to slip them into his administration. He’ll call us all liars and terrorists, but we’re just acting as free people, and we refuse to let this happen.
By Plumpplumber(balding), September 8, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
Correction – @ killerwhale52