Vice President Joe Biden apparently hasn’t been following what his own administration’s former staff are up to very closely.
Biden was asked a question on Florida’s 970 WFLA Tuesday about the Occupy Wall Street protests as well his former “green jobs czar” Van Jones, who is leading a progressive gathering in Washington, DC this week. In a speech at the Take Back The American Dream conference, Jones talked up the protests as the start of a liberal rejoinder to the Tea Party. But despite Jones’ prominent role as the White House’s “green jobs czar” until he resigned in a much-publicized flap over a 9/11 Truth petition he signed years ago, Biden did not seem to recognize him. Via WFLA:
The VP said “I really don’t know about the Van Jones group, except what I read in the press.” The group is currently protesting in New York City against the social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government.
Later in his response in talking about the frustration seen in the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street Group, Biden said “you have on the one end Van Jones’ guys, whoever he is, talking about Wall Street.”
Jack Harris and Tedd Webb stopped him to tell him he had previously been “Green Czar” in the administration. The VP responded, “Oh is that… alright”
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Biden was asked only about Occupy Wall Street. The question also included a reference to Van Jones.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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