Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who was briefly jailed last year for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, attended President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying she was there to "be an encouragement...to all Christians."
Davis, a born-again Christian, offered a bland review of Obama's address, telling Ivan Couronne of Agence France-Presse: "It was a speech."
En exclusivité mondiale, Kim Davis pour l'AFP. "Je voulais encourager tous les Chrétiens" pic.twitter.com/yoCzflde2m
— Ivan Couronne (@ivancouronne) January 13, 2016
The news of Davis attending the State of the Union was something of a surprise and a mystery. An aide to Rep. Jim Jordan said late Tuesday that the Ohio Republican's office had extended a ticket to Davis through a third party. "Kim Davis used our ticket," a Jordan spokesman said, CNN reported. "Our staff heard from the Family Research Council that Ms. Davis and her family hoped to attend the State of the Union address and so we offered a ticket."
It was apparently something of a surprise to Jordan, who told The Huffington Post earlier in the day that he hadn't invited Davis or anybody else, for that matter. "I didn't invite anyone," said Jordan, the House Freedom Caucus chair. "My understanding is [my staff] gave them to the Family Research Council."
In his speech, Obama addressed marriage equality as a product of American diversity and commitment to the rule of law -- something that he said is needed for a prosperous future. "Our unique strengths as a nation -- our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity and commitment to the rule of law -- these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come," he said.
"In fact, it's that spirit that made the progress of these past seven years possible," Obama added in his speech, which was posted on Medium. "It's how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. It's how we reformed our health care system, and reinvented our energy sector; how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops and veterans, and how we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love."
