Betsy DeVos asked her Department of Education staff to become 'the resistance' when Biden takes office

• Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was recorded telling Department of Education staff to become "the resistance" to the Biden administration when he becomes president in January.
• She made the comment during a virtual meeting with department staff, according to Politico, which obtained a recording of the meeting.
• "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first — always," she said.
• Department of Education press secretary Angela Morabito called Politico's report "misleading" in a statement to Insider and said DeVos was speaking about putting "students first."

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was recorded telling her staff to become "the resistance" to the Biden administration when he becomes president next month, Politico reported.

DeVos was recorded making the comment in a virtual meeting with the Department of Education, during which she said that while she would be gone when President-elect Joe Biden comes into power on January 20, many employees would remain.

"Let me leave you with this plea: Resist," DeVos said, according to the recording obtained by Politico. "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first - always."

A Department of Education spokesperson told Insider DeVos said something slightly different from what was reported and that the education secretary was challenging staff to focus on students when she made the comment.

The spokesperson said DeVos said: "Many of you know well that most everything in this town, when it comes to education, is focused on schools - not students. So, Let me leave you with this last plea: resist. Be 'the resistance' against a familiar force that will distract you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, I hope you'll always put students first."

Department of Education press secretary Angela Morabito called Politico's report "misleading" in a statement to Insider and said DeVos was speaking about putting "students first."

"Too many in Washington for too long have put the needs of adults and the education 'system' first," Morabito said. "Secretary DeVos worked tirelessly for four years to reorient the conversation around students, especially disadvantaged students, and she urged everyone to keep students at the center of every decision."

DeVos faced controversy for several of the decisions she made as education secretary, including making Title IX changes that critics said discouraged victims of sexual assault from coming forward, rescinding a policy that required schools to provide bathrooms to transgender students, and trying to funnel federal COVID-19 aid toward private schools over public institutions.

In her Department of Education meeting, she said her goal as education security was to "do what's right for students."

"Four years later, it's still my focus and it's still my hope for all of you," she said, according to Politico.

• Read more:
• Betsy DeVos is under investigation over whether she violated the Hatch Act when she slammed Joe Biden in a Fox News interview
• Betsy DeVos is using coronavirus relief legislation to funnel millions to private religious schools, an alleged cult, and a canine academy
• Teachers were told their student loan debt would be canceled after 10 years of payments, but that didn't happen. Now they're suing Betsy DeVos.