President Obama did not send a White House representative to attend the memorial Mass on Sunday for James Foley, the American journalist beheaded by the Islamic State militants.
The president did, however, send three White House aides on Monday to attend the funeral for Michael Brown, the 18-year-old black male who was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, CNS News reported.
“The President expressed his profound condolences to the family in his statement last week,” Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, explained to CNS . “He was speaking on behalf of his Administration—as well as the American people—in offering these words to the Foley family, and he continues to keep them in his thoughts as we attempt to bring the other American hostages home.”
The memorial mass for Mr. Foley took place Sunday at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Rochester, New Hampshire. A funeral is scheduled at the same church for Oct. 18.
Officials in attendance included Gov. Maggie Hassan (D.), Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R.-N.H.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D.-N.H), and Rep. Ann Kuster (D.-N.H.), the director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, Tom Bebbington, told CNS.
The White House aides who attended Mr. Brown’s funeral in St. Louis included Broderick Johnson, chairman of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force; Marlon Marshall, the deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; and Heather Foster, an adviser to the Office of Public Engagement, CNS reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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