According to the Washington Post, “Van Jones’s Resignation Reveals Vetting Lapse.” Well, yes. But what’s interesting in the Post story (apart from the comical description of Jones as “a towering figure in the environmental movement”) is this claim by “a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter”:
But I’m told the fact is an employee at Jones’s level would have undergone a full-field background investigation by the FBI. That investigation would have included asking Jones about past statements and associations, as well as independently checking on them. So the questions remain: Did Jones tell the truth to the FBI? Who at the White House received the FBI report, and at what level was the decision made to clear him despite what must have been in the report? And was the president involved in that decision?
