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."