President Obama met quietly with the families of terror victims Friday night, stopping in San Bernardino, Calif. on the way to Honolulu for a scheduled two-week Christmas vacation.
The president and First Lady Michelle Obama arrived at at Indian Springs High School Friday night, where they were expected to meet privately and separately with the families of the 14 people killed in the attack. Another 22 were injured in the Dec. 2 shooting spree by husband-and-wife attackers that the FBI believes were inspired — but not directed — by the Islamic State terror group.
These private meetings with families of mass shooting victims have become a grim hallmark of Obama's presidency. He made a similar stop in Roseburg, Ore., in October after a shooting at a community college there.
And in a new book by the former director of faith-based partnerships in the Obama White House, author Joshua DuBois described the details of Obama's meetings with the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn. in 2012.
"Person after person received an engulfing hug from our commander in chief. He’d say, 'Tell me about your son. … Tell me about your daughter,' and then hold pictures of the lost beloved as their parents described favorite foods, television shows, and the sound of their laughter," Dubois wrote in The President's Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama. "In each room, I saw his eyes water, but he did not break."
The San Bernardino stop will be a short one, "long enough to spend some time with the families of those who were killed in the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino a couple of weeks ago," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday. No other stops or public events were expected.
"Obviously those families are going through a difficult time, not just because they’ve lost loved ones, but obviously, at the holiday season, I think that loss is even more acute," Earnest said. "So the President felt, before he could begin his holiday, that it was important for him to spend some time with these Americans who are mourning, and know that even as Americans around the country are going to hopefully get the chance to spend some time with their families in the weeks ahead, that our thoughts and prayers will continue to reside with those families."
Obama has gotten criticism for his handling of the private meetings. San Bernardino County supervisor Curt Hagman, a Republican, said Obama should also have met with first responders and the 22 wounded victims. “It’s almost as like this is like an afterthought, that he’s flying on his way to vacation two weeks after the event,” Hagman told CBS Los Angeles..
“Wounded members of the San Bernardino County family and the first responders who saved them from further harm also deserve the President’s time,” said Hagman.” This is an opportunity for unity and healing at the highest level and I call upon President Obama to be more inclusive with his meeting. “
“Wounded members of the San Bernardino County family and the first responders who saved them from further harm also deserve the President’s time,” said Hagman.” This is an opportunity for unity and healing at the highest level and I call upon President Obama to be more inclusive with his meeting. “
At a press conference earlier Friday, Obama said the San Bernardino attacks show the need for Americans to remain vigilant amid an evolving terrorist threat.
"Here, essentially, you have ISIL trying to encourage or induce somebody who may be prey to this kind of propaganda. And it becomes more difficult to see. It does mean that they’re less likely to be able to carry out large, complex attacks," he said. "But as we saw in San Bernardino, obviously, you can still do enormous damage."
The Obamas — with daughters Sasha and Malia and an entourage of national security and other staffers — were scheduled to arrive in Obama's native Hawaii early Saturday morning. The president has no public events scheduled during his two-week vacation.
