An initial statement today by White House Chief of Staff Andy Card spelled out the demise of the White House Offices of National AIDS Policy and the Office on the President’s Initiative for One America, an office on race relations opened by President Clinton in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Card said the Domestic Policy Council will handle AIDS policy, and the Office of Public Liaison, an intermediary between the White House and several political constituencies, will handle race relations.
Shortly after the news of the offices closings became public, the White House reversed Card’s early statements, saying President Bush will not shut down the two White Houses offices. White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said Card was mistaken in his previous statements, but Fleischer could not explain how Card could have made the mistake.
