White House slammed after reportedly asking staffers to resign over past marijuana use: 'This is absolute bulls---'
President Biden's White House is drawing heavy criticism after reportedly sidelining staffers over their past marijuana use.
"Dozens" of White House staffers have either been suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program because of their past use of marijuana, The Daily Beast reports. Some staffers were reportedly informally told that Biden's administration was expected to overlook some past marijuana use, but they were later asked to resign.
This has reportedly occurred even in cases where the staffers only used marijuana in states where cannabis is legal. The Daily Beast's report acknowledges that in some cases, staffers being sidelined "could have potentially been a result of inconsistencies that came up during the background-check process," including regarding when they last used marijuana, but it adds this would still mean they were being punished for "violating thresholds of past cannabis use that would-be staffers didn't know about."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A White House spokesperson disputed the number of people that had been affected to The Daily Beast, adding it will "ensure that talented and otherwise well-qualified applicants with limited marijuana use will not be barred from serving the American people."
The report quickly sparked criticism, with The Atlantic's Derek Thompson writing it's "incredibly stupid for many reasons," among them being "that cannabis is legal is Washington, DC," while Bloomberg's Steven Dennis simply wondered if this means a "young Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or JFK [would] have been excluded from this White House." It also drew criticism from Sarah J. Galvez, who formerly served as director of social media for Biden.
"I really love my former team, but this is absolute bulls--- and archaic," Galvez wrote. "People legit moved from from spots where it's legalized — turning down various other job opportunities — only to have their jobs yanked from them."
In another tweet, Galvez said "multiple" people have been "texting me because they all lost their jobs."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Passenger: 'pleasingly off-kilter' ITV crime drama
The Week Recommends There's 'plenty to be feared' in this British murder mystery set in a quiet northern town
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cubans rally for 'power and food' in rare protests
Speed Read The protests came after 18-hour rolling blackouts and food supply shortages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published