Wash Times: White House, NEA Stonewall About Scandal
by Big HollywoodA full investigation by both Congress and the NEA inspector general is the only way to bring this story to a close.
Today’s Washington Times:
The facts are simple and public. During the transition, President Obama’s top arts adviser made it clear that his ambition was for the arts to become an integral part of the West Wing. After the inauguration, meetings of artists and political activists at the White House explicitly discussed how to keep the arts community in campaign mode to back Mr. Obama’s legislative agenda. An NEA grants official, Mario Garcia Durham, was at one such meeting for which the attendee list is public.
President Obama with Yosi Sergant
As those meetings occurred, Yosi Sergant, a key cog in the Obama campaign’s outreach to artists, was transferred from a position at the White House to a position as the communications director of the NEA. When the grant spigots opened at the NEA, more than $2 million went directly into the coffers of arts organizations (and their members) attending these meetings and publicly backing elements of the administration agenda.
Does that prove laws have been broken? Of course not. The worst appearances can be completely innocent. However, the administration’s assertions that Mr. Sergant acted alone (”unilaterally and without … approval or authorization” in Mr. Landesman’s words) and that the administration’s efforts were “completely unrelated” to grant-making are at odds with the facts. The public deserves more than bland reassurances.
A full investigation by both Congress and the NEA inspector general is the only way to bring this story to a close. Answers to these questions would be only a start:
- What was an NEA grants official doing at a White House political meeting? What other grants officials have been meeting with White House political officials?
- So far we know about a handful of conference calls last month and White House meetings last spring. Is this the full extent of the coordination between the White House political staff and the NEA?
- Has the grant-making process been compromised by politics? How were the brand-new stimulus grants insulated from politics? Were any of the safeguards circumvented?
- On the same day that Americans for the Arts, a lobbying organization that also runs a partisan Democratic political action committee, endorsed the key elements of the Obama health care plan, the president of the group met with Mr. Landesman, the new NEA chief. What happened at that meeting?
- Why was activist Yosi Sergant transferred from the White House to the NEA? Who made the decision?
Read the full piece here.
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19 Comments
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Captain Leadbottom. Captain Leadbottom said: RT @bighollywood: Wash Times: White House, NEA Stonewall About Scandal http://bit.ly/2iXMmn #tcot #teaparty #gop [...]
ACORN, SEIU, the NEA,that isn't half the "civilian security force" he said he wanted to set up. Who are the rest of them and what will it take to expose them,too? Keep up the great work America! these scum will be run out of town ASAP! We The People say: "This is OUR house!"
A blooming, no- fully blossumed idiot once said " If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck-IT'S A DUCK". In case you've forgotten, It was obamas veep.
And about that $8B stimulus that is planned for ACORN – has that been retracted? Can anyone say Digbats?
This from the most transparent administration.
We have stay on top of this ACORN thing. If we ease up on the pressure it will slowly fade away, and the Democrats will win.
Yosi has a new motivational poster.
http://www.thenoseonyourface.com/conservative-sat...
I love this poster
http://thepeoplescube.com/images/Obamacare_Flag_P...
This gang of thugs are the first to put unjust pressure on Humana yet they are not so quick to tell the truth when it comes to their official affairs that are public domain. WTF.
Yosi's shirt says enough for me.Nothing to see people.Move along.Just ANOTHER coincidental rogue employee.
Their lame excuses are getting so old.
I mean how can u actually send money (taxes) to this administration and believe that even 20% of it is going where it is supposed to be going.
I've said this from day 1 of his campaign-The only difference between obama and some punk ghetto gangsta is the way they rob u.One does it with a gun the other with a pen.
One thing still bothers me about the picture…
Why is Barry letting Yosi sniff his neck? Were they comparing body fragrances?
Please sign our petition to Eliminate Corruption in Washington
http://mycityblog.net/dont-tread-on-me/
"Why was activist Yosi Sergant transferred from the White House to the NEA? Who made the decision?"
Look into his resume and you quickly see a Activist Marketing Manager. Valerie Jarrett and Christina M. Tchen transfered him to do that at NEA. It is no surprise to this White House that he organized artist to campaign for the administration agenda. That was what he was ordered to do directly from the White House.
Sergant has worked in marketing, public relations, brand management and business development for over 10 years. Integrating art, music and culture into his work whenever possible, Yosi has produced specialized events, creative collaborations, online initiatives and built sponsorships and endorsements platforms for local, national and international reaching clients. Sergant engaged artists from across the globe in a vast viral movement in support of Barack Obama, the most visible of which is the now ubiquitous campaign he created with artist Shepard Fairey. Sergant holds a degree from The University of California, Los Angeles where he studied Worlds Arts and Cultures.
Leftwingers are so insecure….I get embarrassed for them. Check out Yosi's body language…..he is totally nervous and trying too hard to ingratiate himself. Typical sycophant. Sad,really.
Love the little Castro beard, Yosi – and the smart girl glasses…that don't seem to be having any effect.
Love the little Castro beard, Yosi – and the smart-girl glasses…that don't seem to be having any effect.
Keep an eye on all the AmeriCorps across the nation. I suspect this will be "the rest of them", as you say.
Yeah, dogs like that usually sniff each others butts. Maybe that was too transparent.
I bet Yosi was thinking of the Nirvana song "smells like teen spirit".
He has that "the black dude is touching me, what do I do now?" look on him. But he can't be thinking that, that would be racist.
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