President Obama To Urge Americans Not To Give Into Fear Of Terrorism

President Obama To Urge Americans Not To Give Into Fear Of Terrorism

  

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare Oval Office address, President Barack Obama on Sunday night will urge Americans to not give into fear following attacks in Paris and California, while trying to assure the public that he takes the threat of terrorism seriously.

Obama was not expected to announce major policy changes for targeting the Islamic State group.

Administration officials said the president’s remarks would focus on how the terrorist threat has evolved and what steps the government is taking to keep Americans safe.

“I think what you’re going to hear from him is a discussion about what government is doing to ensure all of our highest priority — the protection of the American people,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“This horrific attack has people on edge and frightened. We’ve lost so many victims and people were wounded. People are concerned and we understand that,” Lynch said.

She said Obama may ask Congress to “to review measures and take action” to safeguard national security, though she did not offer specifics. She suggested he might reiterate his call for stricter gun laws. “Dealing with guns is one way to handle the violent crime issues that we have in this country,” Lynch said.

With the prime-time address, Obama was turning to a tool of the presidency that he has used infrequently. He’s made televised statements from the Oval Office just twice, the last in 2010.

His speech comes amid criticism that he has underestimated the threat from an extremist group that claimed responsibility for last month’s deadly attacks in Paris.

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