House Speaker John Boehner was raising money in California over the weekend instead of attending the 50th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, CNN has learned from multiple sources.
Boehner’s representatives won’t say whether he was golfing, but he attended two events in Rancho Mirage and La Quinta in southern California. The area is known for its numerous golf courses and the Speaker is an avid golfer.
CNN reported last week that top Republican congressional leaders were skipping the event. But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) decided late Friday to join the bipartisan congressional delegation, which included over 100 House and Senate members, the largest group to travel to Alabama for the anniversary.
“The Speaker was at long-planned political events in California over the weekend,” Boehner’s spokesman Michael Steel told CNN, adding, “he was proud that so many House Republican Members, including Majority Leader McCarthy, attended the events in Selma – and he will be proud to welcome the heroes of Selma to the Capitol to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on them.”
President Barack Obama spoke at the event on Saturday, and former President W. Bush attended the commemoration. Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton did not attend and instead headlined an event for their foundation in Miami, Florida.