Progressive group Justice Democrats criticizes Biden appointments

The progressive organization Justice Democrats in a statement Tuesday criticized President-elect Joe Biden’s reported plans to make “corporate-friendly appointments” to his administration.

“If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump,” Justice Democrats Executive Director Alexandra Rojas said in a statement.

“A Biden administration dominated by corporate-friendly insiders like [former Biden chief of staff] Steve Ricchetti and [Rep.] Cedric Richmond [D-La.] will not help the President-elect usher in the most progressive Democratic administration in generations,” she added.

A Joe Biden administration dominated by corporate-friendly insiders will not help usher in the most progressive Democratic administration in generations.

This move gives greater urgency for Joe Biden to create an Office of Climate Mobilization on Day 1 and appoint progressives. pic.twitter.com/xkSszuza1q

— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) November 17, 2020

The statement goes on to outline Ricchetti’s history as a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry and the donations Richmond has received from the fossil fuel industry.

“This move gives greater urgency for Joe Biden to create an office of Climate Mobilization on Day One and appoint progressives with records standing up to the fossil fuel industry,” Rojas added. “Progressives make up nearly half of the Democratic Party’s seats in the House of Representatives and should receive adequate representation in the Biden administration.”

Richmond, a national co-chair of Biden’s campaign, announced Monday that he will serve as a senior adviser and assistant to Biden as president, a role that has been compared to that of Valerie Jarrett in the Obama administration. Richmond is currently the only Democratic and only Black member of Louisiana’s House delegation.