WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama met with the leader of the Mormon church on Monday in the Oval Office, thanking the religion’s president for a thorough history of the first family.
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama met with the leader of the Mormon church on Monday in the Oval Office, thanking the religion’s president for a thorough history of the first family.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Thomas S. Monson presented Obama with details of his family’s genealogy during their first face-to-face meeting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who is Mormon, helped arrange the meeting and joined it.
“I’m grateful for the genealogical records that they brought with them and am looking forward to reading through the materials with my daughters,” Obama said in a statement after the meeting. “It’s something our family will treasure for years to come.”
Mormon leaders traditionally meet with new presidents and share with them records from the Salt Lake City-based church’s extensive genealogical records.
“President Obama’s heritage is rich with examples of leadership, sacrifice and service,” Monson said in a statement. “We were very pleased to research his family history and are honored to present it to him today.”
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