Yosi Sergant, who recently popped up on Beck's radar for his involvement in a conference call on national service, has been asked to resign as communications director by the National Endowment for the Arts, sources familiar with the move tell the Huffington Post.
Yosi was involved with the Obama campaign as an associate of Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic "Hope" poster series adopted by the campaign.
The NEA's statement as posted on Huffington Post:
On August tenth, the National Endowment for the Arts participated in a call with arts organizations to inform them of the president's call to national service. The White House office of public engagement also participated in the call, which provided information on how the Corporation for National and Community Service can assist groups interested in sponsoring service projects or having their members volunteer on other projects. This call was not a means to promote any legislative agenda and any suggestions to that end are simply false. The NEA regularly does outreach to various organizations to inform of the work we are doing and the resources available to them."
Huffpo:
An artist on the call recorded it and gave the recording to Beck, who played it on air as proof of a government conspiracy to co-opt arts organizations and warp the minds of Americans. "Your government is trying to trick you, use your tax dollars to change your mind. It's called propaganda. The people involved in the conference call, including the White House, knew that this was on the fence if not outright illegal," says Beck.
Sergant has a long history with the Obama campaign, having led the media effort for Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic "Hope" portrait that Obama has credited with helping him win. (See this L.A. Weekly profile to get a feel for Sergant.)
On Sept. 1, Beck came after Sergant. After claiming that Nazi propaganda was based on America's early 20th-century progressive movement, Beck says that the progressives are at it again.
Background on Yosi Sergant from Wiki:
Yosi Sergant is the newly appointed Director of Communications for the National Endowment for the Arts. Serving most recently in the White House Office of Public Engagement. Sergant has worked in marketing, public relations, brand management and business development for over 10 years. Integrating art, music and culture into his work whenever possible, Yosi has produced specialized events, creative collaborations, online initiatives and built sponsorships and endorsements platforms for local, national and international reaching clients. Sergant engaged artists from across the globe in a vast viral movement in support of Barack Obama, the most visible of which is the now ubiquitous campaign he created with artist Shepard Fairey. Sergant holds a degree from The University of California, Los Angeles where he studied Worlds Arts and Cultures.