Witchcraft

White House officials under George W. Bush refused to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling because her writing "encouraged witchcraft," a new book alleges.

Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for Bush, writes in his book, "Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor," that administration officials politicized the award and decided not to give it to Rowling because of her repeated references to witchcraft -- despite the Bushes' vocal praise for her books.

"This was the same sort of narrow thinking that led people in the White House to actually object to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft," writes Latimer.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil award, is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or culture.