House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has apologized to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for his comments about the lack of diversity among their top staff.
Hoyer said he received a call from Clyburn apologizing for remarks he made to The Wall Street Journal, in which Clyburn pointedly asked, "How many black folks are on Hoyer’s staff?
”"I'm disappointed," Hoyer told POLITICO on Thursday morning. "I think he's wrong."
Clyburn also called Pelosi to apologize, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
Hoyer said a majority of his congressional aides — 70 percent — do represent diverse populations: women, people of color, or LGBT individuals.
Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said the speaker has also been committed to diversity with her own office. “Speaker Pelosi’s office is, without rival, the most diverse office on Capitol Hill. Speaker Pelosi has always believed in the importance of leading by example,” Hammill said.
In Pelosi's combined personal and leadership offices, 84 percent of staff are women, people of color or LGBT individuals. Forty-eight percent of her staff are people of color.
Clyburn had accused Hoyer and Pelosi of not prioritizing diversity hiring within their congressional offices — charging that “tokenism is all right with” his Democratic leadership colleagues. He later walked back his remarks.
In a statement to POLITICO, Clyburn said he did not intend to offend his colleagues and acknowledged that Democrats in Congress "are making strides to address these issues," specifically crediting Hoyer and Pelosi for the House Democratic Diversity Initiative.
But he also said more could be done.
"My expressions on the lack of diversity and, in some instances, tokenism that exist in many Congressional offices were in no way intended to slight any individual Member or Members," Clyburn said.
"Many young people of color, however, still feel that our pace is too slow, and I do believe there is still much work that needs to be done to make sure Congressional offices reflect the makeup of Congressional districts and the Democratic electorate," Clyburn said.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine