The White House has reportedly fired speechwriter Darren Beattie, a man who spoke alongside white nationalists at a conference for racists. According to the Washington Post, the administration reportedly pressured Beattie to resign after CNN investigated Beattie’s involvement at the 2016 H.L. Mencken Club Conference. When he refused, he was reportedly fired:
“Once White House officials were informed about CNN’s pending report, Beattie reportedly was confronted and urged to step down immediately. But he apparently refused to resign, arguing that he was not racist and that he had made uncontroversial academic points at the Mencken gathering. When it became clear that Beattie would not resign, the people familiar with the matter said, the White House terminated him.”
According to CNN, the White House “asked CNN to hold off on the story for several days last week” and “declined to say when Beattie left the White House.”