U.S. Attorney General tries to stop ad critical of President's move to kill voucher program

October 29, 6:23 AMDC Charter Schools ExaminerMark Lerner

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the DC Charter Schools Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

By way of Cato's Andrew Coulson I learned yesterday of a disgusting attempt by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to stop a television advertisement that criticizes President Obama for revoking the private school scholarships of 216 students who had been admitted to D.C.'s voucher program.

The stab at violating the 1st Amendment's right to freedom of speech and press was communicated to my friend Kevin Chavous at a recent event attended by Mr. Holder.  Mr. Chavous revealed the incident to the media on October 16th saying that he flatly refused the appeal and responded that the television spot would continue until the "President does the right thing" and allows the program to continue.

In an article about the conversation by Sheryl Henderson Blunt of the Weekly Standard the reporter mentions that Mr. Chavous does not believe Mr. Holder's request came directly from Mr. Obama.   Apparently Mr. Chavous is friends with Mr. Holder and his wife and believes that the Attorney General was just offering his opinion.

But who really knows.  It is also possible that the advertisement, featuring one of students whose scholarship was taken away by the U.S. Secretary of Education. is striking a nerve. 

The 30 second ad includes President Obama saying that "we're losing several generations of kids and something has to be done."

I couldn't agree more.