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ary city, it was our best example of a city in crisis.”
You never forget your first, and Graham’s maiden visit to the White House provided a couple of memorable moments that might make for good stories at the next general meeting. He did
share a couple of those highlights.
“When I was entering, there was a guy in front of me arguing
with the Secret Service that he has clearance and should be al- lowed in. I don’t recommend that,” he related. “And when you come in, you’re on the ground floor. You walk up a small stair- case waiting to go in and see the president. I ran into I believe the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. He had quite an entourage with him.”
What seemed to impress Graham most was how articulate and to the point the president was, how sharp he was on the issue and how he asked excellent questions. And the Lodge 7 president wanted to present Trump a very clear message.
“I did make the point that we would appreciate not cutting off law enforcement funds,” Graham noted. “And I wanted to be clear about the need to go after habitual criminals. We’re not interested in going after ma and pa who are trying to have a better life and trying to feed their families.”
Graham’s remarks made the impression that elicited the “ri- diculous” response from the President. His impact was duly noted.
“Kevin had his facts all in line and purported himself very professionally,” Canterbury commented. “He offered a couple of comments that the president said were very insightful. He was received well by the president and the attorney general.” Unconstitutional chaos is being created
It was not hard to be engaged during the meeting. Or moti-
vated. There were just too many significant statements like Gra- ham’s that deepened understanding of the danger that sanctu- ary cities are causing for law enforcement officers.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge took the 800-pound gorilla off the table during her presentation.
“It’s gender, it’s race, it’s this. No, it’s just illegal because it’s a crime,” Rutledge announced. “It’s important to make sure the rule of law is upheld, and these sanctuary cities are defying the rule of law. Unconstitutional chaos is being created across the country.”
Secretary Nielsen apologized to law enforcement by empha- sizing that the original idea was to protect the illegal immi- grants who were victims.
“That idea has been contorted. It has been perverted,” she added. “And now all we have are sanctuaries for criminals.”
The president culminated the meeting with closing thoughts directed at the media but also intended to fortify officers who are being victimized most by sanctuary cities. d
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