CNN’s Van Jones responded Monday to reporting in the Daily Beast that said he “secretly” helped craft President Donald Trump’s police reform initiative, which he then praised on the network. Jones said the story was “based on false, sensational charges.”
Jones, a commentator for the cable news network whose work often focuses on criminal justice reform, said on Twitter the day after the Daily Beast report came out, “This @TheDailyBeast article is based on false, sensational charges — apparently designed to get clicks, shares, and likes. I haven’t even visited DC since before the pandemic started — let alone been inside the White House.”
He tagged editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman and continued, saying he “didn’t know what was in the [executive order] until the day it was released.”
A representative for the Daily Beast responded to a request for comment by pointing TheWrap to Shachtman’s response, which said Jones’ denial had been added to the original story.
The report said that Jones “attended secret White House meetings with his new friend Jared Kushner, discussing ways to frame the presidential project,” then praised the same police reform initiative he helped craft during subsequent appearances on the network. Reached for comment, a representative for CNN directed TheWrap to Jones’ statements on Twitter.
“I will continue to openly work across the aisle to help those trapped in the justice system. We need more of that these days, not less,” Jones concluded on Twitter Monday.