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Green jobs czar signed 'truther' statement in 2004

By Amanda Carpenter on Sept. 3, 2009 into Hot Button Blog

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President Obama’s “green jobs czar” Van Jones has been targeted again and again by conservatives for his controversial views and now they’ll have another item to use as fodder.

Mr. Jones signed a statement for 911Truth.org in 2004 demanding an investigation into what the Bush Administration may have done that “deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war.”

His name is listed with 99 other prominent signatories supporting such an investigation on the 911Truth.org website, including Code Pink co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodi Evans, comedienne Janeane Garofalo, Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and others.  He's identified as the executive director for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights on the statement, which he founded before going to the White House. The statement is available here. Mr. Jones is number 46.

Mike Berger, a spokesman for 911Truth.org, told the Washington Times over the phone that all of the signers had been verified by their group.  He said 9/11Truth.org board members “spoke with each person on the list by phone or through email to individually confirm they had added their name to that list.”


RELATED STORIES:
• Green jobs czar apologies for 'truther' statement
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“I think in most cases they spoke to them personally,” he added. “No one’s name was put on that list without them knowing it.”

Fox News personalty Glenn Beck has described Mr. Jones as a "radical" on his program and many conservative blogs have questioned his political tactics and strategies. Mr. Jones recently landed in hot water when a video surfaced of him calling Republicans a disparaging name at an energy lecture in Berkeley, California last February. He apologized for those remarks in an email to the Politico this week.

The White House has been contacted for comment and this blog will be updated with their statement when provided.

UPDATE: A response was provided to reporters Thursday evening. In it, Mr. Jones apologized for signing the statement and said he doesn't feel that way today and never has had such thoughts, although the 911Truth group claims to have personally confirmed support from all of their signers.

"In recent days some in the news media have reported on past statements I made before I joined the administration – some of which were made years ago," Mr. Jones said. "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize. As for the petition that was circulated today, I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever.

"My work at the Council on Environmental Quality is entirely focused on one goal: building clean energy incentives which create 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and use renewable resources," he added.

UPDATE TWO Friday 1:45pm: 911Truth.org responded to a follow-up email asking for any information why there could be confusion between the White House statement and their personal verification of the signers with this remark: "As the eighth anniversary approaches, what doesn't make sense to us is that you and other media outlets choose to impugn the character of the signatories rather than carry out your responsibility as watchdogs to call attention to the as yet unanswered questions raised in the 2004 statement. Five years later, we challenge you to finally print those same unanswered questions and pursue their answers with the same vigor with which you pursue the signatories.".

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There are 133 Comments

panola60

Even more ridiculous is when Van Jones said: "We're really entering a third wave of environmentalism in the United States. The white polluters and the white environmentalists are essentially steering poison into the people of color communities." youtube.com/watch?v=O6gOmIalJVw Race seems to be a part of nearly everything Jones says. Does anyone really believe that white people are intentionally poisoning minorities? Wasn't the Obama administration supposed to be the beginning of a "post-racial" America? Why does he have "special advisors" out there openly attempting to create an even bigger racial divide?
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imtoast

Prominent is not a word that should be used about the yahoos you listed. Freaks and losers would be more like it.
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Latimer

Anyone who is surprised at the blatant racism of Obama and all who surround him in his 'administration' should have examined more carefully the racism of the 'church' he belonged to and attended regularly (according to an interview not published until after his election) in which Black Liberation Theology was regularly 'preached.'
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NoMoreBlatherDotCom

One of the signers apparently was a writer for "Insight on the news", a publication associated with... the Washington Times. In fact, she's referenced here: washingtontimes.com/news/2003/jul/12/20030712-104213-5455r/ (Do a find for 'Insight Magazine'). While the petition goes further than I'd like, perhaps some of the things they say deserve a fair hearing and perhaps we deserve responses to some of the questions raised about the issue. But, then again, it's always easier to just hide behind a childish label like "Truther", isn't it? Do those who use that term think we've been told the whole truth about the event? If not, why don't they want the whole truth to be discussed?
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Jaayd

If this is what we're hearing--imagine the things we don't hear.
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middleclass

The point I think most Americians are missing is that a person with this much hate for the Americian way and this much hate for America ..... how can someone like this get so close to the President of the United States? How ??? Where is the FBI ... really?? where???
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ACRScout

Just another racist in the Obama Administration. "White polluters are steering pollution into neighborhood of color" Birds of a Feather flock together.
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scola91660

I am totally amazed that we have allowed such vermin to come to power in this country. We much be ever vigilant with these communist thugs.
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scola91660

middleclass: The answer to your question is as plain as day: Birds of a feather flock together. Americans blew off the association with Ayers and Wright before the election. Do you think that they might be able to recognize a pattern that Chairman Maobama is overtly demonstrating.
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dan983

Van needs to follow the old song by Jimmy Buffet;"Ha vana Day-Dreaming-he's just dreaming his Country away". Why not move down? The Castro brothers could use him
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MotherRedDog

It says alot that the Prez didn't fire this guy already. If this Truther is okay for the WH, then I'm guessing that the Birthers must have a valid point. So where's the birth certificate?
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snoopyc4

Ms. Carpenter needs to go back to school to learn how to write. She states, "Fox News personalty Glenn Beck has described Mr. Jones as a "radical" on his program and many conservative blogs have questioned his political tactics and strategies." Yet there is nothing more about this. There are no links to the conservative personalities who are questioning Beck. Hmmm...it's so hard to be objective when a journalist drinks the cool-ade. Shame on you Amanda!
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sanborl

NoMoreBlatherDotCom: Would 'Semi-Truther' be an okay descriptor? Do you have an unused "Bush Lied People Died" sticker you haven't dared to affix because you see it on too many teens' cars? Why not come out of the nether and read the hate spewing from so-called 'Islamic' sites and the proud embrace of the 9/11 horror. Your energy is certainly better spent looking for the good in America.
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Perseus317

Seems there are some "truthers" still posting on this site. To them I have to say that you've been watching WAY too many episodes of "The X-Files". In reference to Mr. Jones, however, I think that the evidence is incontravertible. He signed the truther document, he said those things that the videos SHOW that he said, and as the radical that he is, he should NOT be associated with a government that he is trying to destroy.
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rdasher

middleclass:"The point I think most Americians are missing is that a person with this much hate for the Americian way and this much hate for America ..... how can someone like this get so close to the President of the United States? How ??? Where is the FBI ... really?? where???" Someone with that much hate for American IS THE PRESIDENT!
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