Visitors at the Barack Obama Presidential Center’s opening weekend in Chicago praised the 44th president’s legacy as “Black excellence” and “scandal-free” — while overlooking a list of controversies from his White House years.
“There was very little scandal around him and his family,” Ashley Woods told Fox News Digital. “Like it just shows you that we can be more than what America tells us we can be.”
Sheryl Rogers, who traveled from St. Louis for the opening, echoed the sentiment: “No scandal.”
“No scandal.”
But Obama did face major scandals during his two terms. His DOJ infamously seized Fox News phone records — including a line belonging to reporter James Rosen’s parents — after an FBI agent called Rosen a criminal “co-conspirator” in a warrant affidavit.
Obama’s IRS allegedly slow-rolled tax-exempt approvals for grassroots conservative groups with names like “Tea Party” or “Patriot,” hindering their formation for months or years.
Operation Fast and Furious allowed over 2,000 firearms to reach cartel hands near the Mexico border. One weapon killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010. When Attorney General Eric Holder was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee in 2012, he refused to comply — becoming the first U.S. cabinet official held in contempt of Congress. The Obama DOJ never prosecuted him.
Obama also ordered extrajudicial drone strikes that killed four terror-tied Americans in Yemen without due process.
The 19.3-acre presidential center opened to the public on Juneteenth, Friday, following a star-studded private ceremony Thursday night. Visitors framed the center as a symbol of unity and hope.
“The community is great, we’re just kind of glad it’s here,” Lauren Tillman, who lives 40 minutes outside Chicago, told Fox News Digital. “We needed something like this.”
Kia Ware, a visitor from Virginia, said the opening was a “sad reminder” of what she sees as the country’s direction since Obama left office.
“I was so proud of everything that was accomplished during that legacy in terms of, you know, fighting for vulnerable people,” Ware said. “And I feel like it’s setting us back.”
Ware added that Obama remains a “powerhouse” in the Democratic Party, and that supporters want him to “step back in.”
