WASHINGTON — A White House speechwriter was dismissed last week after revelations that he had spoken at a conference attended by white nationalists, according to three people familiar with the decision.
Darren Beattie, who was a visiting instructor at Duke University before he joined the White House staff, was fired Friday after a media inquiry about his appearance at the 2016 H.L. Mencken Club conference, where Beattie spoke on a panel alongside Peter Brimelow.
Brimelow, founder of the anti-immigrant website Vdare.com, is a white nationalist and ‘‘regularly publishes works by white supremacists, anti-Semites, and others on the radical right,’’ according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group that tracks extremists.
Earlier this year, Brimelow described himself as a believer in ‘‘racial nationalism’’ who sees the future of the United States ‘‘precipitating out on racial lines.’’
CNN’s K-File, an investigative unit, published a report on Sunday on Beattie and his appearance at the Mencken event, which has been attended in the past by white nationalist Richard Spencer. Spencer is a prominent figure in the alternative right, a movement whose adherents are known for espousing racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic points of view.
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, he was dismissed, according to the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Beattie worked for Vince Haley, the head of speechwriting at the White House and, at times, he worked on speech projects for Stephen Miller, Trump’s top policy adviser and speechwriter, the people added.
It was not clear Sunday whether President Trump or his chief of staff, John Kelly, were personally involved in Beattie’s departure.
‘‘Mr. Beattie no longer works at the White House,’’ White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. ‘‘We don’t comment on personnel matters.’’
Beattie, when reached by phone on Sunday, declined to elaborate on his dismissal but provided a statement.
‘‘In 2016 I attended the Mencken conference in question and delivered a stand-alone, academic talk titled ‘The Intelligentsia and the Right.’ I said nothing objectionable and stand by my remarks completely,’’ Beattie said. ‘‘It was the honor of my life to serve in the Trump administration. I love President Trump, who is a fearless American hero, and continue to support him one hundred percent.’’
Washington Post
