Obama Not Scheduled to Attend San Bernardino Funerals

Obama Charleston funeral (David Goldman / Associated Press)
David Goldman / Associated Press

President Barack Obama is not scheduled to attend any of the funerals for the victims of the San Bernardino terror attack nine days ago, Breitbart News has learned. He has yet to visit the town in the wake of the deadliest terror attack since 9/11.

The White House did not return a request for comment about the president’s schedule.

It is unknown to the public whether he will attend any funerals, the first of which took place on Thursday for victim Yvette Velasco. Two were scheduled for Friday morning, which Obama appears to be missing as well.

Obama delivered the eulogy at the memorial service this year for the victims of a racist mass murder at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Obama used his remarks to push for gun control: “For too long, we’ve been blind to the unique mayhem that gun violence inflicts upon this nation,” he preached.

The White House also sent three representatives to the funeral of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old who robbed a store in Ferguson and later fought with police officer Darren Wilson. Massive Black Lives Matter protests had resulted from accusations that Wilson shot Brown in cold blood. Brown’s alleged gesture of surrender–“Hands up, don’t shoot”–was repeated by protesters, elected officials and celebrities. Wilson was later exonerated of killing Brown, and the “Hands up, don’t shoot” claim was found to be false.

Obama did not attend, nor did he send a representative to the funeral of slain “American Snyper” Chris Kyle, Breitbart News reported. Neither were representatives sent to the funeral of journalist James Foley, who was beheaded by the so-called Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh).

The White House sent “Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, chair of the Obama administration’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force; Heather Foster, an adviser in the White House Office of Public Engagement; and Elias Alcantara from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs” to the funeral of Freddie Gray. Gray had died a week after injuries sustained during an encounter with police in Baltimore.

Even on the third anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin–the man that Obama famously said looked like the son he never had–Obama met with Martin’s parents at the White House. “Today, on the third anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death, showing all of our kids, all of them, every single day, that their lives matter, that’s part of our task,” he said according to Time.

The President will go on holiday in Hawaii in just seven days, but questions have surfaced over whether the Commander-in-Chief will visit San Bernardino, California on his way.

Not all of the funerals for victims of the San Bernardino terror attacks are being made public. Some are strictly private events.

Obama recognized in his address to the nation last Sunday that the attacks were terror related, after days of cautioning that they could turn out to be “workplace violence.”

It is unclear if Obama will visit or send any representatives to the remaining funerals of the 14 victims killed in the attacks.

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana

Charlie Spiering and Raheem Kassam contributed to this report.

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