After being revealed on Thursday that Jamie Johnson, a former official of the Department of Homeland Security, had made inappropriate comments about black people, calling them lazy and promiscuous, Johnson resigned from his post.
Johnson, who was head of the department’s Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnership, was a guest on a radio program in 2008, where he made these remarks. On Thursday, the CNN published a report of the racist comments, along with audio extracts. The former official made the provocative remarks after a caller on the show, “The Right Balance,” asked him why many black people were anti-Semitic.
He then said that “America’s black community has turned America’s major cities into slums because of laziness, drug use, and sexual promiscuity.” Johnson also spoke on another conservative radio program, “Mickelson in the Morning,” where he attacked Muslims.
“I never call it radical Islam, if anything, it is obedient Islam. It is faithful Islam,” he said, adding that he shared Dinesh D’Souza’s opinion that “all that Islam has ever given us is oil and dead bodies over the last millennia and a half.”
Before resigning, Johnson gave a statement to CNN, apologizing for his harsh comments and “the manner in which those thoughts were expressed in the past,” claiming they are not a representation of his personal or professional views.
“I have and will continue to work with leaders and members of all faiths as we jointly look to strengthen our safety and security as an interfaith community,” Johnson’s statement said.
The Department of Homeland Security said Johnson’s comments didn’t reflect their values, nor those of the administration. The Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships was founded over a decade ago, following hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma to help “a broader cross-section of faith and community-based organizations” in managing emergencies responding to natural disasters.
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