The president made an attempt to diffuse the increasingly tense situation surrounding his recent comments on the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Gates Jr.
Press Release Service – Wired PR News — President Barack Obama recently made an attempt to bring an end to the ongoing conflict regarding the controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Gates Jr. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Obama, who recently remarked that the arresting officer, James Crowley, acted “stupidly” if he arrested Gates in his own home after it was clear that no robbery was committed, stated in a press conference that his words were distasteful and potentially escalated negative feelings. The president reportedly telephoned both Crowley and Gates to converse about the events.
Obama is quoted by the AP as stating, “This has been ratcheting up, and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up,” stated President Obama. “I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department and Sgt. Crowley specifically. And I could’ve calibrated those words differently.”
As noted in the report, Sgt. Crowley said in a recent statement that he was pleased that the President wanted to come to a resolution regarding the matter. The Cambridge Police department, Crowley’s employer, said that the incident is “regrettable.”
WiredPRNews.com – The latest in U.S. Presidential News
Photo Credit: Wikipedia User Chuck Kennedy (Official White House photo)
