Democrats Purge White Party Staffers Due to Alleged 'Lack of Diversity'

The congresswoman who heads the campaign arm for U.S. House of Representatives Democrats has acknowledged mistakes after lawmakers complained about a lack of racial diversity within the organization, and she named a Cuban-American as interim executive director as part of a major staff shakeup.

The announcement by Representative Cheri Bustos late on Monday followed several days of turmoil at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), a controversy that has sidetracked the organization as it seeks to expand the party’s majority in the House in the 2020 election.

Lawmakers who are members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have had multiple conversations with Bustos in recent months “to address concerns about diversity at the DCCC,” Alma Acosta, executive director of the caucus, said on Tuesday.

Politico reported last week that black and Hispanic lawmakers had complained that the DCCC was not recruiting or retaining non-white staffers in top positions.

“Today has been a sobering day filled with tough conversations that too often we avoid, but I can say confidently that we are taking the first steps toward putting the DCCC back on path to protect and expand our majority, with a staff that truly reflects the diversity of our Democratic caucus and our party,” Bustos, who is white, said in a statement.

Allison Jaslow [pictured above], an Iraq war veteran and long-time Bustos ally, resigned as DCCC executive director on Monday. Five other senior staffers also left, including communications director Jared Smith, another long-time Bustos aide.

Bustos, who represents an Illinois congressional district won by Republican President Donald Trump in 2016, said she would be “owning my mistakes and learning from them,” pledging to work “tirelessly to ensure that our staff is truly inclusive.”

I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He “loved Trump!” He would ask me for favors often. Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing. Must have intimidated Comcast/NBC. Hates Whites & Cops! https://t.co/ZwPZa0FWfN

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019

On Ingraham's Fox News show, Ann Coulter describes her version of the Dem party

"I mean you have the Muslims and the Jews and the various exotic sexual groups and the black church ladies with the college queers ... you must hate white men. It's the one thing they have in common" pic.twitter.com/xGWe0wH2uP

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) December 12, 2018