Butler County sheriff asks former presidents Bush, Obama to help re-open government

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is calling for the past two presidents — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — to help get the conversation going and end the government shutdown.

The record-long partial government shutdown, which is in its fifth week, has caused hundreds of thousands of federal workers to work for free and federal funding for local programs to be frozen.

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Jones said Bush and Obama can help “get things moving in our country, and get civility back where it belongs.”

“I think both sides are in a divide and until they come back to the table and start doing some negotiations, these two people can get that done if they’re willing to come out of retirement,” said Jones.

The sheriff, who has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and the border wall, said he has not sent a letter to the president but he “may.” He didn’t reach out to the president, yet, because he believes “it needs to be two people that are away from the fire right now and I think it needs to be these two past presidents to help get the people to the table.”

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About the Author

Michael D. Pitman

Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.