Obama to meet with Rev. Billy Graham today

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

From the Huffington Post:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — President Barack Obama is fitting in his first visit with ailing evangelist Billy Graham during his vacation weekend in North Carolina.

Obama planned to see the 91-year-old Graham and his son Franklin at the elder Graham’s mountainside home in Montreat, about 20 miles east of Asheville, where Obama spent a few days away from the White House.

“I expect they’ll have prayer, but beyond that I don’t know what they’ll talk about,” said Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for the Graham.

A White House spokesman, Bill Burton, said that when Obama last spoke with Graham, in a telephone call in November on Graham’s birthday, they said they would try to get together as soon as possible.

DeMoss said the White House requested the meeting several days ago. He noted that the meeting had been tentative, given the president’s schedule and Billy Graham’s unpredictable health.