The White House said this morning that Van Jones, an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has resigned. Jones, an expert green jobs, had come under fierce criticism from conservatives after it was revealed he signed a petition that supported the belief 9/11 was an "inside job," a tape showed him calling Republicans "assholes" earlier this year, and his involvement with a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement was questioned. Jones released a statement, acknowledging much vitriol was directed at him, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me... They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide. I have been inundated with calls -- from across the political spectrum -- urging me to 'stay and fight.' But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future." more ›

The hubbub over White House environmental official Van Jones continues to simmer, with Glenn Beck and other conservatives demanding that Jones, a green jobs innovator, step down. Jones' past, notably signing a petition claiming that 9/11 was an inside job (though two people who signed the petition, including Howard Zinn, say they were misled into signing it) and calling Republican assholes in a video, has required him to deny support for "9/11 truther" views and apologize for other past statements. When asked about the 9/11 truther petition, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "It's not something that the president agrees with." Well, that's a relief! Still, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) wants Jones to resign, "Given recent revelations concerning the associations and statements of the president's green jobs czar, Van Jones should resign his position and if he is unwilling to do so, the president should demand his resignation. His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this Administration or the public debate," and complains that people in "czar" positions aren't vetted by Congress. more ›