Future Bush relative joins Special Olympics delegation

The father of Jenna Bush’s fiance Henry Hager, John H. Hager, will go on a taxpayer-funded trip to China next month to attend the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Summer Games in Shanghai.

{mosads}The White House announced Monday that Hager, who is a former assistant secretary of education for special education and rehabilitative services, would be part of the official U.S. delegation, which is headed by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

“After serving as assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Mr. Hager has a broad understanding of Special Olympics and the organization’s important efforts to empower individuals with disabilities to participate in sports,” Emily Lawrimore, who handles personnel announcements for the White House, said in a statement to The Hill.

“President Bush selects people who he believes will represent him well to serve as members of delegations (which are usually ceremonial in nature),” Lawrimore added. “He believes Mr. Hager will do a wonderful job as a member of the presidential delegation to attend the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Summer Games.”

Hager uses a wheelchair because polio robbed him of the use of his legs.

Other members of the delegation include U.S. Ambassador to China Clark Randt, baseball great Ernie Banks and figure-skating champion Michelle Kwan.

In addition, two members of the Kennedy clan will be part of the group: the founder of the Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and her son Timothy Shriver, who now is the chairman of the board of the Special Olympics.

In July, Bush named his nephew George Prescott Bush to the delegation attending the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.