Despite some rebukes, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich stood by remarks he made Saturday at a conservative rally in Spokane Valley, in which he blamed former President Barack Obama for emboldening people to “hunt and assassinate” law enforcement officers.

Obama’s rhetoric, the sheriff claims, is part of a broader “war on cops” that inspired attacks on officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas; New York and other cities.

“What I said about Barack Obama – our former president – that was not rhetoric,” Knezovich said in an interview Monday. “That was my heartfelt belief that President Obama let this country down. That man was perfectly positioned to heal this country and close the divide between law enforcement and the people, and he blew it”/Chad Sokol, SR. More here.