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Yosi Sergant Resigns

September 24, 2009 5:54 PM

Yunjiblog ABC News’ Yunji de Nies Reports:

Embattled former National Endowment for the Arts communications director Yosi Sergant is out of a job.  Late this afternoon, the NEA released a short statement saying, "This afternoon Yosi Sergant submitted his resignation from the National Endowment for the Arts. His resignation has been accepted and is effective immediately."  The agency provided no further details.

Sergant had been under scrutiny after leading a controversial conference call on August 10, where he encouraged artists to create work to promote the Obama administration's agenda.  Sergant was initially removed from his post as communications director, but continued to work at the NEA.

Just two days ago, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman defended the conference call, saying it “was not a means to promote any legislative agenda and any suggestions to that end are simply false.”

Still, the White House thought the incident serious enough issue new guidelines to prevent another such call and to held meetings with the chiefs of staff of the executive branch agencies to discuss rules and best practices.  Administration attorneys do not believe Sergant violated any laws.

September 24, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (61)

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Were you at least this outraged when the judiciary was being stacked illegally by high-ranking Bush officials? That has historical consequences that cannot be undone.

This guy was very wrong and has resigned in disgrace from a small agency that isn't exactly at the heart of the government. Move on.

Posted by: Arthur | Sep 28, 2009 4:10:53 AM

So why isn't the white house member, Valerie Jarrett resigning also... as a con-conspirator?

Posted by: DougH | Sep 27, 2009 1:20:03 PM

Poster Rick Jackson advises people who oppose obama's policies to read a book. The NYT's best seller list is currently dominated by conservative authors and has been for months. I advise the kool aid drinkers, who were drowned by the fawning liberal television network media into electing the Acorn trainer in chief, to do the same.

Posted by: mioilman | Sep 26, 2009 10:20:54 AM

Can you IMAGINE, if this had been a conservative that had advocated for a conservative president's policies? Ok that's rhetorical.

Posted by: Paul Roscelli | Sep 25, 2009 1:55:06 PM

Feel kind of sorry for Yosi. He was just a true-believer (as someone else put it) doing his job. I have the feeling that the people who came up with this horrible idea are a couple rungs up the ladder from Yosi. Yosi is just the fall guy. Oh well, the true-believers are always the first to be eaten by their own.

Posted by: Jason | Sep 25, 2009 1:28:00 PM

One communications Director makes an idiotic statement to reporters and the whole Republication party (it seems) smells conspiracy, takes out their extremely large brush and begins another "corrupt White House" foaming at the mouth rant. What ludicrous statements.

You people should start trying to think for yourselves once in a while instead simply parroting Rush, O'Rielly, Beck and Prager... oh, and you MIGHT try reading a book rather than simply listening to vitriol being spewed on the airwaves 24/7

Posted by: Rick Jackson | Sep 25, 2009 1:10:13 PM

First ACORN is implicated in wrongdoing.

Now the NEA.

What's next? The SEIU? The UFT?

Both arms of the DNC's organizing infrastructure are broken. The SEIU, the largest source of funding for the DNC is implicated in the ACORN investigations in several cities for having funded the illegal activities of ACORN.

This does not bode well for the future of the DNC.

I'm good with that. Anyone wanna get a beer?

Posted by: etwolverine | Sep 25, 2009 11:08:42 AM

White House to "issue new guidelines to prevent another such call"

or

ways to not get caught next time.

Posted by: Thomas | Sep 25, 2009 11:06:29 AM

Bad politics as usual. There are no decent people in politics.

Posted by: Rick McDaniel | Sep 25, 2009 10:42:44 AM

"While genocide is daily committed in this country against those without health insurance by the greedy and corrupt insurance companies..."

Posted by: DianeR PCFL | Sep 25, 2009 9:42:00 AM

I thought Obama called on people to stop using "scare tactics" when talking about healthcare. I guess he just meant his opponents.

Posted by: Really? Really? | Sep 25, 2009 10:42:02 AM

The gig is up at the White House and the NEA.

Jake: Are you going to press the president on the recent revelations by Christopher Anderson in his new book regarding the true authorship of Dreams of My Father. An in depth analysis by Dr. Jack Cashill corroborates Anderson's claim that BHO could not have written this book, he doesn't have the literary skills to do it. But Bill Ayers does, and Michelle Obama had suggested that her husband receive help from Ayers on this book. Who is going to ask the question? Where is Giles and O'Keefe when we need them?

Posted by: tc | Sep 25, 2009 10:19:40 AM

While genocide is daily committed in this country against those without health insurance by the greedy and corrupt insurance companies; and, our brave young men and women are daily dying in combat, you morons want to whine about obscure people in this administration. Grow up and get a life.

Posted by: DianeR PCFL | Sep 25, 2009 9:42:00 AM

Another one tossed under the Hope and Change Express.

The wheel on the bus go thump, thump, thump.

Posted by: Obama: I am the Change You Are Looking For | Sep 25, 2009 8:54:47 AM

In this administration, there seems to be a daily need for someone to blurt out, "You lie!".

The White House knows there have been numerous laws broken. That is why they are in major CYA mode.

This WH house a clear pattern of using the "Big Lie" propaganda technique. Will anyone start calling them on this?

Posted by: SjB | Sep 25, 2009 8:15:34 AM

Buffy the Fairness Slayer ought to go next.

Posted by: drjohn | Sep 25, 2009 8:07:26 AM

Could the NEA have been any less in the tank for the far left before Obama made it official?
This overreach is actually a good thing, as the NEA's unofficial capacity as leftist propaganda mill has heretofore flown below radar.
Every time Republicans and Libertarians try to abolish that agitprop factory with the artsy Orwellian name some prominent Democrat trots out Barney and Elmo and laments the evil Republican "censorship" of "The Arts".
We can only hope that this time around too many people know the truth for the Muppet Gambit to work.
If we can replace Barney and Elmo with Yosi in his Barack-worshipping t-shirt as the public face of the NEA we might finally kill off the Ministry of Propaganda once and for all.

Posted by: Muppet Gambit | Sep 25, 2009 3:50:00 AM

One down, x to go. The real answer is: Defund the NEA. The American people should not be forced by government to fund art. Citizens can voluntarily support the art that we choose to support, by buying it, by privately funding artists, etc.

Posted by: Rose Lake | Sep 25, 2009 12:44:18 AM

Conservatives have read Saul Alinsky and they are going after the left using their own playbook.

Rule #4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules."

Posted by: John | Sep 24, 2009 11:52:08 PM

I bet Yosi and his artsy friends sing songs about Obama.

"Barrack H. Obama --mmm mmm mmm "

What the heck is wrong with these people?
How can they worship a man as if he is some kind of god? Don't they have any pride in themselves?

Making those little elementary school kids sing songs in praise of Obama is pitiful.

Posted by: max | Sep 24, 2009 10:32:55 PM

No worries, I'm sure Soros has a job waiting for him.

Posted by: Jason | Sep 24, 2009 10:28:50 PM

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