Academic

N.E.A. SPOKESCOMMISSAR YOSI SARGENT has resigned. Embattled former National Endowment for the Art?

By Glenn Reynolds

N.E.A. SPOKESCOMMISSAR YOSI SARGENT has resigned.

Embattled former National Endowment for the Arts communications director Yosi Sergant is out of a job. Late this afternoon, the NEA released a short statement saying, “This afternoon Yosi Sergant submitted his resignation from the National Endowment for the Arts. His resignation has been accepted and is effective immediately.” The agency provided no further details.

Sergant had been under scrutiny after leading a controversial conference call on August 10, where he encouraged artists to create work to promote the Obama administration’s agenda. Sergant was initially removed from his post as communications director, but continued to work at the NEA.

Just two days ago, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman defended the conference call, saying it ?was not a means to promote any legislative agenda and any suggestions to that end are simply false.?

Apparently it wasn’t just Mickey Kaus that Landesman failed to convince. But let’s remember Yosi as he was . . . .

UPDATE: Yosi may be gone, but IowaHawk’s still there!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Didn’t convince Adam Baldwin, either.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on September 24, 2009 (boomark / email).