Critics have been very vocal about President Obama's weary reaction to Michael Brown's death and a grand jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson for killing Brown in Ferguson, Mo. in August. According to officials, Obama actually planned to go to the St. Louis suburb to address the aftermath.
Politico reports that the White House wrestled with the idea, but ultimately decided things were too complicated:
But, according to three White House officials, the idea was dropped for now after a series of meetings, including one in the Oval Office last Tuesday with Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. A visit to Ferguson would be too messy at the moment, the officials said, with concerns about everything from choosing who would stand with the president and the neighborhood where he would speak to the police resources that would be diverted.
The feeling within the West Wing was that — no matter what it did — a trip was too difficult to get right, at least at this point. “It’s complicated, a high wire,” a White House official said. “We have done complicated trips before. But for us, it is more of a substantive way to take the challenges head-on.
Yesterday, President Obama unveiled a $263 million plan to outfit local police with body cameras.
[via Politico]
