Saikat Chakrabarti, the chief of staff and former campaign mastermind for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), reportedly admitted that the “Green New Deal” was not originally about climate change, but changing the economy.

That claim comes from Sam Ricketts, who directs climate change policy for for Washington Governor Jay Inslee, one of the two dozen candidates for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Ricketts met with Chakrabarti this spring to make acquaintances after Ocasio-Cortez called Inslee’s climate change plan the “gold standard” in policy.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday:

Chakrabarti had an unexpected disclosure. “The interesting thing about the Green New Deal,” he said, “is it wasn’t originally a climate thing at all.” Ricketts greeted this startling notion with an attentive poker face. “Do you guys think of it as a climate thing?” Chakrabarti continued. “Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing.”

That report confirms early analysis of the Green New Deal by Breitbart News in February. After “democratic socialist” Ocasio-Cortez introduced the plan, this author wrote (original links):

As predicted, it is pure socialism.

…

Furthermore, the authors say they will proceed “through transparent and inclusive consultation, collaboration, and partnership with frontline and vulnerable communities, labor unions, worker cooperatives [are we literally in the Soviet Union now?], civil society groups, academia, and businesses.”

…

The Green New Deal will also “guarantee” a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people [note: not “citizens” or even “legal residents”] of the United States.” It will also provide “high-quality health care”; “affordable, safe, and adequate housing”; and health and affordable food.” And it bans unfair “domination and competition” from monopolies — except the state, of course.

Chakrabarti is currently under fire from members of the Congressional Black Caucus for accusing moderate Democrats of behaving like segregationists.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.