Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Allison Jaslow was forced to resign from her position on Monday, because she’s white.
Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran, attended an all-staff meeting on Monday to make it official after two Hispanic lawmakers – Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Filemon Vela – demanded she step down on Sunday for not doing enough to “diversify” DCCC leadership.
The lawmakers want people of color in important positions and Jaslow and her deputies are white, so that’s a problem for Gonzalez and Vela, Politico reports.
My statement on stepping down from my post at the @dccc today: pic.twitter.com/Fft4rK9DtK
— Allison Jaslow (@jaslow) July 29, 2019
“The DCCC is now in complete chaos,” the duo wrote in a prepared statement. “The single most immediate action that (DCCC chairwoman) Cheri Bustos can take to restore confidence in the organization and to promote diversity is to appoint a qualified person of color, of which there are many, as executive director at once. We find the silence of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on this issue to be deafening.”
Jaslaw reportedly held a “very emotional” meeting with her staff on Friday, when she cried and apologized for not injecting enough color into the DCCC’s senior ranks. The next day, Jaslow’s boss, DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos held a tense conference call with staff, then flew in to D.C. on Monday to attend the all-staff meeting, where Jaslow officially submitted her resignation.
“When I was in eighth grade, I decided that my life would be dedicated to serving my country. I did that first in uniform, but since have tried to be a force of good in our politics,” Jaslow wrote in a Twitter post announcing the decision. “My commitment to the mission, our country, and the people who commit their lives to serving it is unwavering. And, sometimes selfless service means having the courage to take a bow for the sake of the mission – especially when the stakes are so high.
“As I told the team today, they are without a doubt the most talented group of people I’ve ever worked with in my life. It was an honor and a true privilege to work with them every day …”
The forced departure came on Jaslow’s birthday.
According to The Hill:
Jaslow has been a top aide to Bustos since 2012, when she managed her winning campaign against then-Rep. Bobby Schilling (R). Jaslow served as Bustos’s chief of staff before leaving to take a job running Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Most senior DCCC officials this year are white men. The most senior person of color at the committee, chief of staff Jalisa Washington-Price, left in February, just months after Bustos took over, to take a senior position on Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-Calif.) presidential campaign.
It’s not reverse discrimination. That is just straight up discrimination.
— jdovejr (@jdovejr) July 29, 2019
“You had to resign because you are White?” Kathleen Morgan questioned on Twitter. “That’s reverse discrimination. This is why they blew it in 2016. We should all sit down and hand our jobs & all else over based on the color of our skin …”
“It’s not reverse discrimination,” jdovejr corrected. “That is just straight up discrimination.”
Happy Birthday. Sorry you’re white.
— Whatevs (@danobrien1972) July 29, 2019
“Happy Birthday,” Whatevs added. “Sorry you’re white.”
This is how they treat war veterans. Says a lot.
— NYC Trader (@SrEconomist) July 29, 2019
“This is how they treat war veterans,” NYC Trader posted. “Says a lot.”
Several folks attempted to leverage the situation as a recruiting opportunity.
You should see this as an opportunity. Repent, and join the Republican party.
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) July 29, 2019
“You should see this as an opportunity,” Comfortably Smug wrote. “Repent, and join the Republican party.”
You were forced out of your DCCC senior role because you are white. On your birthday. If that isn’t a super sized red pill, then I don’t know what is. How in the world is this considered acceptable?
— jdovejr (@jdovejr) July 29, 2019
“You were forced out of your DCCC senior role because you are white. On your birthday,” jdoveir wrote. “If that isn’t a super sized red pill, then I don’t know what is. How in the world is this considered acceptable?”
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.