Holder cancels graduation speech amid protests

Attorney General Eric Holder canceled a speech to a graduating class of police cadets in Oklahoma City on Thursday, after crowds of Oklahomans flocked to the ceremony to protest his appearance.

Protest organizers said Holder’s planned speech to the law enforcement graduates was “inappropriate,” and argued that the attorney general has failed to uphold the law himself.

“A lot of people just felt that it was very inappropriate for this man, with his track record, to speak to law enforcement officers that demand and expect to be backed up by the government working on behalf of the citizens, not against the citizens,” State Rep. Mike Turner (R.), who is running for U.S. congress, told theWashington Free Beacon.

Turner said Holder has flouted the law when it comes to illegal immigration, the “Fast and Furious” gunrunning scandal, and the Second Amendment.

The U.S. House of Representatives held Holder in contempt of Congress in 2012, on the grounds that he was impeding investigations into Fast and Furious.

The Oklahoma City protest made national news Thursday afternoon, after Holder backed out of the speech shortly before the graduation ceremony began.
Holder’s office told the Washington Times that the last-minute cancelation was due to a scheduling issue.

“The attorney general had been looking to addressing the cadets, and regrets he cannot attend in person,” spokesman Brian Fallon told the Washington Times. “He extends his heartfelt congratulations to the cadets and their families.”