Washington (CNN) — White House aides said Wednesday they do not expect President Barack Obama to call Shirley Sherrod, the black former USDA employee who resigned after a video clip of her discussing a white farmer surfaced earlier this week.
Obama also will not appear at the White House briefing Wednesday to discuss the issue, two senior administration officials said.
Last year, the president did make a surprise appearance at a briefing to address reporters regarding the controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., even though White House officials had said he wouldn’t speak publicly about it.
“No more beer summits here,” one aide said. After Gates’ arrest, Obama, Gates and police Sgt. James Crowley met at the White House for beers.
Full story: Aides: White House trying to distance Obama from Sherrod controversy – CNN.com