College prepared for protests at Rove speech

Republican political strategist Karl Rove gave a speech to a group of alumni of and donors to Claremont McKenna College at a Newport Beach gathering Monday.

The group, called the Res Publica Society, got together for a luncheon at the Fairmont Newport Beach hotel for the private event.

A packed house of spectators turned out in one of the hotel’s ballrooms, but press was not allowed. Event organizers said tickets to the event were snapped up within minutes of becoming available. They were available only to invited guests, and were complimentary for big donors to the campus.

“Rove, a controversial public figure, may attract protesters on Monday, so the staff is prepared,” according to the college newspaper’s website. “In addition to campus security officers ... the Claremont Police Department will send officers to secure the area.”

No protesters were visible in or around the hotel during the speech.

— Alan Blank