(CNN)Don’t call Rep. Jim Clyburn a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s inner circle.
Yes, with his pivotal endorsement of Biden in the South Carolina primary, he helped the President-elect secure the Democratic nomination. And yes, every two days or so, Clyburn’s phone rings and it’s Biden on the line. And, in fact, in one of those calls, Clyburn cautioned Biden against having an inner circle that wasn’t diverse enough, an observation that maybe only someone who doesn’t care about being in the inner circle could make.
“I’ve been a sounding board for him, he’s made it very clear — ‘I need to bounce something off of you,’ ” Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said in an interview with CNN last week. “And I’ve called him and said, ‘I need to offer a bit of advice.’ “
That advice has helped shape the Cabinet, which will be one of the most diverse in history, with Biden’s announcement of his attorney general pick expected in the coming days.
Clyburn, along with other civil rights leaders, has urged Biden to pick an attorney general who understands how critical criminal justice reform is. For the South Carolina Democrat, race is less of an issue for the attorney general pick — the lineup of finalists includes Judge Merrick Garland, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates.
He publicly criticized Biden after the rollout of his national security team, concerned that the first impression suggested that diversity wasn’t a top concern. Clyburn said he was getting calls from all over the country, even as the incoming administration said that there were more picks to come.
Source: From pivotal endorsement to Cabinet advice, Jim Clyburn is here for Joe Biden
