Obama adviser quits over 9/11 conspiracy theories
Senior adviser to Barack Obama quits over reports he joined 9/11 conspiracy theory group in 2004
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A senior adviser to Barack Obama has resigned after it emerged he joined a campaign claiming the Bush administration was to blame for September 11th.
Two public apologies by Van Jones were not enough to keep his job as an environmental adviser following a campaign by right wing media personalities to force him from the post and lukewarm support from the White House.
In 2004 Mr Jones, a Yale-educated lawyer and civil rights activist, joined the 9/11 Truth movement, which alleged Bush administration complicity in the September 11th terrorist attacks.
As pointed out by Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, Mr Jones had also made controversial remarks before he joined President Obama's team where he said high school massacres were carried out by "white suburban kids".
"If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologise," the adviser on Mr Obama's green jobs agenda added.
"It certainly does not reflect my views, now or ever."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Mr Jones had decided the "agenda of this president was bigger than any one individual".
"The president thanks Van Jones for his service in the first eight months helping to coordinate renewable energy jobs and lay the foundation for our future economic problem," he added.