Free Republic

In her new book Finding My Voice, out April 2, the Obama Foundation adviser takes readers on her journey from growing up in Chicago to being one of the Obamas' most trusted confidants in the White House. Here, she shares with Marie Claire some of the most formative experiences on her path to success. Marie Claire: You lived in Iran until you were five. How did that shape your worldview? Valerie Jarrett: We ended up in Iran because my father, who is African American, was unable to find a job at a teaching medical center in the United States in...

FULL TITLE: Valerie Jarrett gets destroyed by Meghan McCain after she makes excuses for Farrakhan meeting Women’s March organizer Valerie Jarrett appeared on The View on Friday and gave a surprising defense of a Women’s March organizer over her ties noted anti-semite and racist Louis Farrakhan. The conversation turned on national co-chair of the Women’s March Tamika Mallory and her embrace of the radical leader Farrakhan. “So, is this guilt by association we’re talking about here, or should she basically be taken out of the leadership position? What do you think?” Behar asked. “It’s not just that she attended. She...

Today the View discussed the ongoing controversy over Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory’s fondness for anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. For the most part, everyone seemed to be in agreement that Farrakhan was a genuine anti-Semite (and anti-white racist) and that people who claim to be social justice leaders probably shouldn’t be hanging out with him. There was one note of dissent, however. The guest for this segment was former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett who suggested that sometimes, as a leader, you need to meet with people who you strongly disagree with.“Part of learning to be a leader effectively is that...

Valerie Jarrett, former senior adviser to then-President Barack Obama, said Thursday that the 2016 election result was “gut-wrenching,” and she did not see the election results coming. “Elections have consequences,” Ms. Jarrett said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I actually didn’t see the election coming out the way it did.” Ms. Jarrett said she will continue her work on issues she cares about from the private sector, saying the former president and first lady will also likely remain in the private sector. When asked if she had any discussion with former first lady Michelle Obama about a possible run for office,...

You might think that the Obama administration would be gracious on its way out the door. Fuggedaboutit. Valerie Jarrett—asked by Greta Van Susteren during her inaugural MSNBC show this evening—what was her biggest surprise during her eight years in the White House, gave a nasty, partisan response. Said the senior adviser to President Obama: “what surprised me was the willingness of the Republicans in congress to put their short-term political interests ahead of what’s good for the country . . . I thought they would come to the table and really try to work with us to focus on what...

Scandal, what scandal? President Obama has been squeaky clean, according to his closest adviser, Valerie Jarrett. “The president prides himself on the fact that his administration hasn’t had a scandal and he hasn’t done something to embarrass himself,” Jarrett said in an interview broadcast on CNN Sunday.

In her “60 Minutes” interview, Valerie Jarrett partially reveals the sway and power she possesses in the Obama White House. The full disclosure of her power must wait for another time, perhaps in a “tell all” book, post Obama administration. It is clear she is very proud of her effect on the Obama presidency, its decisions, its attitudes, and its resultant force upon Constitutional boundaries and the racial injustices she perceives in America. In a surprisingly blunt “60 Minutes” interview, CBS’s ‘This Morning” co-host Norah O’Donnell took Ms. Jarrett to task on several issues. Much was revealed, much unspoken yet...

Rarely does one person in the White House have the influence that Valerie Jarrett has had. She holds the job title of senior advisor, but she's more than that. The president has said she's his best friend. She told us she's involved in nearly every decision that's made, including the choice of his chief of staff or who should sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. And that has sometimes caused friction in a White House that prides itself as being no-drama. As the president enters his final months in office, we talked with Valerie Jarrett about her role, the president's...