Washington – More than a dozen protesters confronted White House adviser Karl Rove as he tried to leave a speaking engagement at American University, blocking his car and throwing objects, officials said.
Rove was attending a guests-only discussion of electoral politics Tuesday night sponsored by the American University College Republicans.
When Rove tried to leave a campus building, he was confronted by more than a dozen protesters who surrounded his car to prevent it from leaving, said Maralee Csellar, a university spokeswoman.
“They were throwing unknown objects at the vehicle,” said Secret Service spokeswoman Kimberly Bruce. She said members of the Secret Service asked the protesters to move. When they continued to block the vehicle’s exit, campus police were contacted.
Campus police lifted some of the demonstrators from the asphalt and carried them out of the vehicle’s path. There were no arrests or injuries, police said.
The White House refused to comment, referring all calls to the Secret Service.
Josh Goodman, an American University junior, said students wanted to make a “citizen’s arrest” of the presidential adviser. He said the students claimed that they had compiled evidence indicating that Rove had violated what they say is a presidential-records act stipulating that all presidential e-mail be recorded on White House servers.
The Washington Post contributed to this report.
