Van Jones Draws Support From News Outlets Reluctant to Cover Controversy

"Van Jones may be gone from the Obama administration after a long list of questionable remarks and actions forced his resignation, but the former "green jobs" adviser still has the backing of some at The Los Angeles Times and other news outlets that refused to report the original controversy.

And the list of news outlets that ignored the story is a long and lofty one. While FOX News and a few talk radio hosts kept the public informed about Jones' record, most major news outlets, including The New York Times, CNN.com and MSNBC.com, remained silent until nearly the end, when Jones resigned.

Some news outlets and editorialists that lay low are still supporting Jones, including Judith Lewis, a Los Angeles journalist and environmental writer, who wrote in an opinion piece in the L.A. Times on Friday that "Jones' departure is a big loss."

"He should be judged not by a few missteps but by his long history of working toward a highly desirable but elusive goal: an environmental movement that crosses boundaries of place, skin color and class," Lewis wrote.

"The takedown of Van Jones was openly orchestrated by Americans for Prosperity, an Arizona-based conservative organization that rallies people who can barely afford to drive a car to the free clinic to press for offshore drilling and oppose health care reform," Lewis added.

The San Francisco Chronicle ran an editorial, called "Joe Wilson, Van Jones and the watermelon hypothesis," which claimed that FOX News commentator Glenn Beck used "fear of blacks" to stir outrage about Jones."

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Michael Savage on Obama administration, Van Jones, Czars

Bill O'Reilly & Glenn Beck: The Van Jones Resignation

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 10

Gleen Beck Responds to Van Jones Resignation part 8

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 7

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 6

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 5

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 4

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 3

Glenn Beck Responds To Van Jones Resignation part 2

Media Ignored Van Jones Controversy

"In the wake of the resignation of President Obama's controversial 'green jobs czar' Van Jones, some analysts are mulling over why the mushrooming controversy was never covered in depth by the mainstream media.

As Fox News pointed out Monday, 'Most of the major news outlets, like The New York Times, The Washington Post and CBS ignored the swelling heat surrounding former White House environmental adviser Van Jones and the videos surfacing of his controversial statements.' Instead, the coverage was led by Fox host Glenn Beck and other conservative media outlets like Newsmax.

Beck relentlessly examined Jones' remarks and radical views, including his February denunciation of Republicans as "a**holes" -- a statement that came to light on Wednesday."

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Glen Beck: American People Stood Up to Bring Down Van Jones

"Fox News host Glenn Beck, who led the charge calling for the resignation of President Barack Obama's "Green Jobs Czar" Van Jones said Sunday that Jones is only the first of many radicals in the administration who should be facing questions.

"The American people stood up and demanded answers," Beck wrote in a statement. "Instead of providing them, the Administration had Jones resign under cover of darkness. I continue to be amazed by the power of everyday Americans to initiate change in our government through honest questioning, and judging by the other radicals in the administration, I expect that questioning to continue for the foreseeable future."

Jones resigned late Saturday following mounting criticism over his past statements and associations. The tipping point came when it was discovered that he signed a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been complicit in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"Much of the credit for Jones resigning should go to Fox's Glenn Beck, who as HuffPo's Ryan Grim notes, has his "first scalp," Politico reported Sunday.

Beck's victory was being lauded by conservative columnists and grudgingly acknowledged by liberals across the country Sunday.

"Face it, Glenn Beck won a big victory for conservative America with the resignation of Van Jones," wrote Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist.

"Beck kept up the pressure, and the mainstream media reported on it. As a result, Jones couldn't really muster any effective counter-attack. He had made mistakes, tried to apologize for them but was too late," Abouhalkah added.

"As scary as this may sound… Glenn Beck might actually have more power than anybody else representing the Republican Party," the Web site Political Lore.com wrote Sunday. "As the Republican Party seemingly has no leader in their ranks, at least one that can represent the voice of the people. Even though Glenn Beck is an independent, he represents more Republicans than the Republican party."

"The resignation of Van Jones signals that Glenn Beck's words do not fall on deaf ears. The view's of Glenn Beck have been labeled "extreme" from just about everyone on the left. Van Jones views are arguably just as extreme, if not more so," the article continued.

It was Beck who repeatedly called attention to a series of statements by Jones that suggested Republicans were incompetent and bad in their opposition to Obama's liberal agenda. Among other things, Jones called GOP members racists and a**holes.

Jones was also the co-founder of ColorOfChange, the African-American activist group that attempted to lead a boycott against Beck. But the boycott had the opposite of the intended effect – many advertisers denied they were boycotting Beck and his grassroots support surged. In the traditionally weak, non-prime time slot at 5 p.m., Beck is now drawing more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined get in their prime time hours."

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Van Jones Resignation Could Embolden Administration Critics

"The resignation of White House green jobs adviser Van Jones could ultimately embolden conservatives who are critical of the Obama administration for its reliance on "czars" -- the nickname for special advisers who do not need congressional approval.

Jones resigned late Saturday following mounting criticism over his past statements and associations. The tipping point came when it was discovered that he signed a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been complicit in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

But even before his resignation, critics said the controversy surrounding Jones was indicative of the fundamental problem with the administration's reliance on such advisers.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., the first lawmaker to call for Jones' resignation, said Friday that in light of the controversy Obama should suspend the appointment of additional "czars" until Congress has a chance to examine the background and responsibilities of such individuals, as well as determine the constitutionality of such appointments.

Now that Jones is out of the way, Republicans are turning their fire on czars in general.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, called the czars "an affront to the Constitution" since they are not approved by Congress.

"I don't think (Jones is) the issue. I think the czars are the issue," Alexander, R-Tenn., said on "FOX News Sunday." "We have about two dozen so-called czars -- the pay czar, the car czar, all these czars in the White House."

Republican strategist Ed Rollins said the administration needs to focus on bringing people on board who are competent and not controversial.

"(Jones) got out of there, but the more fundamental thing is there are 31 czars in that White House," he said."

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Obama 'Green Jobs' Adviser Van Jones Quits

"President Barack Obama's environmental adviser Van Jones, who became embroiled in a controversy over past inflammatory statements, has resigned his White House job after what he calls a "vicious smear campaign against me."

The resignation, disclosed without advance notice by the White House in an e-mail minutes into Sunday on a holiday weekend, came as Obama is working to regain his footing in the contentious health care debate.

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.

After the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama did not endorse Van Jones' comments but thanked him for his service.

"What Van Jones decided was that the agenda of this president was bigger than any one individual," said Gibbs. The president thanks Jones for his work and accepted his resignation, Gibbs said, adding that Jones "understood he was going to get in the way," by becoming a liability to the administration. Gibbs spoke Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

Jones issued an apology on Thursday for his past statements.

The matter surfaced after news reports of a derogatory comment Jones made in the past about Republicans, and separately, of Jones's name appearing on a petition connected to the events surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. That 2004 petition had asked for congressional hearings and other investigations into whether high-level government officials had allowed the attacks to occur.

"On the eve of historic fights for healthcare and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."

Howard Dean, former head of the Democratic National Committee, told "Fox News Sunday" that he thought Jones "was brought down" and that his resignation was "a loss to the country."

Jones said he has been "inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight."

But he said he cannot in good conscience ask his colleagues to spend time and energy defending or explaining his past."

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Howard Dean: Van Jones' Resignation a 'Loss for the Country'

"Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Sunday that the resignation of White House green jobs adviser Van Jones is a "loss for the country."

The outspoken Democrat and former presidential candidate vigorously defended Jones, who resigned in the wake of criticism over his past statements and associations -- including his past support for a group that believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I think he was brought down," Dean told "FOX News Sunday," saying he just spoke to Jones. "I think it's a loss for the country."

Dean pointed to Jones' credentials as a Yale Law School graduate and best-selling author.

Though Jones signed a 2004 statement calling for an investigation into possible Bush administration involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks, Dean said Jones didn't realize what he was signing at the time.

"I don't think he really thinks the government had anything to do with causing 9/11," he said.

But 911Truth.org spokesman Mike Berger, whose group sponsored the statement, earlier told FOX News that Jones knew what he was signing."

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