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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly met on Monday with Black Republicans and told them that the administration seeks to hire talented people, The Hill reported. But given Kelly’s record, there’s plenty of doubt about his sincerity.

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“I didn’t say African-Americans, I didn’t say Hispanics, I said talented young men and women,” Kelly said days after the ouster of the administration’s most high-profile Black staffer.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former reality TV star turned presidential adviser, was terminated by Kelly, according to one version of what happened. He gave her a pink slip in the White House Situation Room, but she continues to deny getting fired. In the meantime, the White House is under scrutiny for its lack of African-American staffers. The administration’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, when asked by reporters, was unable to provide specific names of any Black staffers after Manigault Newman’s ouster.

Given Kelly’s record, it’s hard to imagine that he’s serious about wanting more Black staffers around the White House. Let’s start with the fight he picked with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), in which he lied about her taking credit for the construction of a federal building and called her “an empty barrel,” which is considered a racist slur. He also revealed his racist view of history by defending Confederate General Robert E. Lee as an “honorable man” and promoting the myth that the Civil War resulted from a “lack of ability to compromise.”

Hispanics have also been in Kelly’s crosshairs. He was behind a directive to immigration enforcement agents to portray undocumented immigrants as criminals. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois, has also slammed Kelly for his role in ending protections for children in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The White House needs anther Black face around. The community can only hope that the next one truly advocates for African Americans. Kelly, however, is probably not onboard with either plan.

SOURCE:  The Hill

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