Attorney General Eric Holder canceled an appearance before the Oklahoma City Police Department’s graduating cadet class Thursday amid angry protests over his scheduled visit.
Mr. Holder was expected to deliver remarks at the afternoon graduation ceremony, according to his official itinerary sent out by the Justice Department Thursday morning.
A Justice Department spokesman denied that the trip was canceled because of the possibility of a hostile reception. An early meeting at the Justice Department delayed Mr. Holder’s departure from Washington, causing him to miss the graduation ceremony, spokesman Brian Fallon said in an email.
“The attorney general had been looking forward to addressing the cadets, and regrets he cannot attend in person,” Mr. Fallon said. “He extends his heartfelt congratulations to the cadets and their families.”
But Mr. Holder’s scheduled visit to Oklahoma City drew the criticism of several conservative lawmakers who planned the protest in anticipation of his arrival, including Republican state Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, who has said he believes that Mr. Holder should be impeached.
“Our protest has turned into a victory celebration because we frankly didn’t want him here — and we succeeded,” Mr. Wesselhoft said in an interview. “This man has used his position to advance his own political agenda and that’s not right. He swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution and defend it for all of us — not some of us.”
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Makes me just love OKC.
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