ANALYSIS: Sheldon Whitehouse Senior Staff as White as His Private Beach Club

freebeacon ^ | June 24, 202 | Matthew Foldi and Andrew Stiles

[MarvinStinson]

Senator under fire for shunning racial diversity in his personal life

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), an alleged champion of racial justice, has come under fire for his ties to Bailey's Beach Club, an exclusive Newport beach club whose members are overwhelmingly white. For whatever reason, the senator prefers to surround himself with members of the white race. Bailey's Beach Club is merely one example.

According to a Washington Free Beacon analysis, the senior staff in Whitehouse's Senate office is overwhelmingly white, much like the membership at Bailey's Beach Club, as well as the senator's Newport sailing club that, by his own admission, suffers from a "lack of diversity."

Using publicly available information, the Free Beacon confirmed that the following senior positions in Whitehouse's office are held by whites:

Chief of Staff (Sam Goodstein) Legislative Director (Josh Karetny) Senior Adviser (Kara Allen) Senior Economic Policy Adviser (Dan RuBoss) Education and Labor Policy Adviser (David Caruolo) Senior Counsel (Dan Dudis) Communications Director (Rich Davidson) Scheduling Director (Leah Seigle) Press Secretary (Meaghan McCabe) Digital Director (Marie Baldassarre) They are pictured below. Goodstein (photo unavailable) is not, but two sources with knowledge of his racial background confirmed he is white. (Top row, left to right: Karetny, Allen, RuBoss, Caruolo, Dudis; Bottom row: Davidson, Seigle, McCabe, Baldassarre.)

Of the 21 Whitehouse staffers listed on Legistorm, an online database of congressional staff members, at least 15 are white. One of his only minority employees, researcher Matt Jackson, is half black. He is the son of Amy Berman Jackson, a federal judge who serves on the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The senator has struggled to justify his affiliation with the overwhelmingly white Bailey's Beach Club, described in a 2003 New York Times article as a place where "the ruling class keeps its guard up." Whitehouse is technically no longer a member of the club. In 2010, he transferred his ownership shares to his wife, Sandra Thornton, making her one of the largest shareholders in the exclusive club.

Whitehouse released a statement on Wednesday in response to mounting criticism of his ties to the club. "There have been calls for me to resign from the club, which I understand," he said. "However, I have no membership to resign, nor will I ask my wife or any other family members to do so."

Perhaps in an effort to preempt a forthcoming story, Whitehouse went on to acknowledge his membership in a Newport sailing club that similarly lacks diversity. "Failing to address the sailing club's lack of diversity is squarely on me, and something for which I am sorry," he said.

Whitehouse's office did not return a request for comment about why the senator has failed to promote diversity among his staff, especially in light of his claim to have "worked relentlessly toward bringing greater equality of opportunity and outcome to all Americans." His own office, it would seem, is the place where Whitehouse has the most power to effect positive change.

The controversy surrounding the senator's ties to Bailey's Beach Club resurfaced last week, when a reporter for the local news website GoLocalProv.com asked Whitehouse for an update on his expressed commitment to push for greater diversity at the club.

"I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet," Whitehouse said. Racially exclusive institutions were part of "a long tradition in Rhode Island," he added before being escorted away by a (presumably white) staffer.

There is some dispute as to whether the membership at Bailey's is exclusively white. "Jewish, yes … Blacks, not really," was how one lifelong member, speaking to the Times, described the club's diversity in the 2003 article.

A spokesman for Whitehouse told the Free Beacon "the club has no such restrictive policy" and "has had and has members of color." The club itself insisted that "members and their families have included people of many racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds from around the world."

The Free Beacon reached out to all 50 Democratic senators, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, for comment on Whitehouse's association with the controversial club. We received only one response, from Whitehouse's office, which alleged that the senator "has dedicated his entire career to promoting equity and protecting civil rights."

[MarvinStinson]

The senior staff in Whitehouse's Senate office is overwhelmingly white, much like the membership at Bailey's Beach Club, as well as the senator's Newport sailing club that, by his own admission, suffers from a "lack of diversity."

Using publicly available information, the Free Beacon confirmed that the following senior positions in Whitehouse's office are held by whites:

Chief of Staff (Sam Goodstein) Legislative Director (Josh Karetny) Senior Adviser (Kara Allen) Senior Economic Policy Adviser (Dan RuBoss) Education and Labor Policy Adviser (David Caruolo) Senior Counsel (Dan Dudis) Communications Director (Rich Davidson) Scheduling Director (Leah Seigle) Press Secretary (Meaghan McCabe) Digital Director (Marie Baldassarre) They are pictured above. Goodstein (photo unavailable) is not, but two sources with knowledge of his racial background confirmed he is white. (Top row, left to right: Karetny, Allen, RuBoss, Caruolo, Dudis; Bottom row: Davidson, Seigle, McCabe, Baldassarre.)

[MarvinStinson]

[Oscar in Batangas]

It is a shame that if you are a radical liberal, you have no shame.

[boycott]

Must be one of those white supremacist we keep hearing about.

[MtnClimber]

[LIConFem]

It’s okay, they’re all LGBTQ++ Illegal aliens.

[equaviator]

I don’t care. The less PC the better all the way around, right?

[BeauBo]

“Overwhelmingly” white, not entirely white - like Rhode Island.

Neither his staff nor the local clubs, exclude anyone based on race.

Out of 21 on his staff, 15 are white. More diverse than Rhode Island.

What is this, but an effort to hound whites out of Government, if not society.

[BeauBo]

Why do I suspect that Maxine Waters staff is less reflective of America’s racial and ethnic mix?

Because the double standard is so glaring.

[joma89]

Surprise! Democrats are racist.

[alloysteel]

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

The great and powerful OZ has spoken.

[blueplum]

not to defend Sheldon, but maybe black folks aren’t partial to certain dinosaur beach clubs and golf-centric country clubs that charge thousands in annual dues and only draw local notables. Many belong to private clubs (slash hotels) that cater to furthering careers and connections in a swanky see and be seen atmosphere. For instance, in LA, the Soho costs somewhere around $2K a year base rate; higher base rate gives accessibility to their properties around the world. There’s also the Jonathan Club (those that run LA), The California Club (those that own LA) and the Balboa Bay Club (the filthy-rich), among a dozen others catering to the cream of the elite. Repeat in every major urban center and country clubs seem a bit ordinary for those clawing their way to the top or trying to stay on top.

[xrmusn]

Maybe ‘they’ can make him change his name to Blackstone.

That’ll teach him......

This crap will get a LOT worse before it even deems of getting better or even ‘leveling’ out.

[Tupelo]

This is about what I would expect from a Democrat. After all, how many “people of color” did traditional Democrats typically have on their staffs? Wilson? Roosevelt?. Truman? Kennedy?

Next question; How many white people are on Shelia Jackson Lee's staff? Maine Water's? Ilhan Omar's?

[Sacajaweau]

Saw two new black commercials last night. And if you missed it...this year’s Gerber baby is a mulatto...white mom and black father. Just more surprises everywhere you turn.

[Cen-Tejas]

............I’m sure Mr. Whitehouse is a PURE Liberal and therefore I don’t like him; but, I’m extremely tired of “guilt” by association that the Marxist Democrats use to paint white persons they don’t like in their relentless and un-ending pursuit of POWER.

So, I refuse to join the “let’s get Whitehouse Mob”. I hope he tells his pursuers to all Go to Hell.

[ladyjane]

maybe black folks aren’t partial to certain dinosaur beach clubs

Maybe black folks aren't partial to lying around on the beach. Go to any beach and you're not going to see many blacks. Check out any swim teams and you're not going to see many blacks. It's just like the national parks, few if any blacks.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Very few blacks in R.I. Why do you think John Kerry parked his yacht there? Guess Viet Nam wasn’t close enough.

[ladyjane]

Very few blacks in R.I.

There are a lot of people from Portugal and the Azores who are black or partially black.

[dfwgator]

this year’s Gerber baby is a mulatto...white mom and black father.

Semi-Mojo?