Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), “ranking member of the Green Jobs and the New Economy Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today called for a Congressional oversight hearing probing the fitness of a senior White House official,” according to a press release.
In his letter to Senator Sanders, Bond wrote, “Today, news outlets are reporting that Van Jones signed a petition from the so-called ‘Truther’ movement which suggests that the Bush administration ‘may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext to war.’ I can imagine few sentiments more repulsive to our brave fighting soldiers and the victims of the 9/11 terror tragedy than to think the U.S. government deliberately allowed the events of 9/11 to occur. Of course Mr. Jones in hindsight is embarrassed by the public disclosure of his participation in the petition drive and now asserts he did not read the fine print of the petition. But can the American people trust a senior White House official that is so cavalier in his association with such radical and repugnant sentiments?”
Mr. Van Jones “is responsible for directing administration policy and spending on tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer funding regarding environmental policy and green jobs programs,” according to the release.
His specific title is Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
Update (9/6): Mr. Van Jones “resigned as the White House’s environmental jobs ‘czar’ late Saturday night,” the New York Times reports.
Congress in Your Pocket
S E N A T U S 
“few sentiments more repulsive than to think the U.S. government deliberately allowed the events of 9/11 to occur.”
How about this repulsive thought, “President Obama wants to kill your grandmother!”
Senator Bond, have you disavowed your wing of the Republican party that has been repulsively calling President Obama a “baby killer,” a “Goebbels” and a “Mengele?”
Don’t believe this attempt to swiftboat Van Jones. I know Van personally. He is working to create jobs and justice for people of all races and backgrounds. Van Jones is a person of great vision, love and integrity.
A great blog. Van Jones just bought the farm. Ask Heidi Fleiss what happens to high profile people. The White House is now a laughing stock and has zero credibility after this “crisis situation”. Czar……Give me a stinking break.
Must we give breaks to people who display such profound ignorance? Your opposition to sensible policies on green jobs gets transformed into an ad hominum attack on Jones and the White House. YOU may be laughing, but 66 million people who voted for the sitting president are tired and disgusted with such irrational rants. Van Jones is just one more victim of the Republican hatchet, but millions of us are mad as hell, and not taking it any more.
Yes, let’s have some Congressional oversight, like we had of the Justice and Intelligence communities in 2002 -2006!
V J is unfit period. His radical views are perfectly fine to be discussed and promoted as he sees fit. A right given to him by those who wrote the founding documents that he and other presidential advisers seek to distort and undermine. He needs to go now.
What an embarrassment to the office of the president. Each day that passes hurts BO. At some point beyond what can be repaired.
You are judged by the company you keep. Like it or not, V J and others around our president are lessening the faith and confidence we the people have in our government. Go away VJ. Quickly
My prediction is that VJ is dispatched just like Rev. JW. Sometime this week. BO is no fool. Excess baggage goes overboard, or under the bus.
Van Jones will stay. He’s a very talented, effective and capable person and both Sen. Bond and Pres. Obama know that. He won’t be going anywhere. Certain opponents of the president will search for flaws in any candidate. What may likely have happened is that Van Jones took the petition to declare that the Bush administration used 9/11 as timely ammunition for their desire to go to war in Iraq. I certainly have a fair number of petitions shoved in my face at countless events throughout Chicago, and have on occasion signed one or two based on a brief exchange with the petitioner without completely reading the text of the petition. That may well be what occurred with VJ signing that one. Regardless, Van Jones is now rejecting the basis of the petition – that is what’s important. Opponents need to chill out, or more likely, search for another bone to chew on.