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Subscribe to RSSPHOENIX – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday unveiled preliminary results of an investigation, conducted by members of his volunteer task force, into the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, a controversy that has been widely debunked but that remains alive for the so-called birther movement.
At a news conference, Arpaio, whose office is facing a federal inquiry involving alleged racial profiling, said the probe revealed that there was probable cause to believe Obama's long-form birth certificate released by the White House in April is a computer-generated forgery. He also said the selective service card completed by Obama in 1980 in Hawaii also was most likely a forgery.
"We don't know who the perpetrators are of these documents," Arpaio said, although he said he doesn't think the president forged the documents.
On Thursday, Obama's campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt offered a light-hearted dismissal of Arpaio's probe — he tweeted what he referred to as a "live link" to the sheriff's news conference, but instead provided a link to a snippet of the old conspiracy-theory based TV series, "The X-Files."
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio talks to reporters about the birth certificate investigation.
The sheriff said a forensic examination of the electronic document that the White House provided last year proves that it was not simply scanned to create a computer file but rather assembled from several pieces, East Valley Tribune.com reported.
Arpaio's probe comes amid a federal grand jury investigation into the sheriff's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009, focusing on the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad. Separately, the U.S. Justice Department has accused Arpaio's office of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish. Arpaio denies the allegations and said the investigation is politically motivated.
Earlier Thursday, the 79-year-old Republican sheriff defended his need to spearhead the investigation into Obama's birth certificate by saying that nearly 250 people connected to a conservative Arizona Tea Party group requested one last summer.
"I'm not going after Obama," said Arpaio, who has criticized the president's administration for cutting off his federal immigration powers and conducting the civil rights investigation of his office. "I'm just doing my job."
Speculation about Obama's birthplace has swirled among conservatives for years. "Birthers" maintain that Obama is ineligible to hold the country's highest elected office because, they contend, he was born in Kenya, his father's homeland. Some contend Obama's birth certificate must be a fake.
Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed that Obama was born there, meaning he's a native-born American, and Obama released a copy of his long-form birth certificate in April. Courts also have rebuffed lawsuits over the issue. Of late, the president's re-election campaign has poked fun at it, selling coffee cups with a picture of the president's birth record.
Some critics suggest Arpaio's aim is to divert attention from his own legal troubles while raising his political profile as he seeks a sixth term this year. The sheriff vehemently denies such strategies are in play.
Critics also have sought Arpaio's resignation over allegations that more than 400 sex-crimes cases over a three-year period ending in 2007 were either inadequately investigated or weren't investigated at all by the Sheriff's Office after the crimes were reported. The Sheriff's Office said the backlog was cleared up after the problem was brought to Arpaio's attention.
Arpaio has said he took deliberate steps to avoid the appearance that his investigation is politically motivated. Instead of using taxpayer money, the sheriff farmed it out to lawyers and retired police officers who are volunteers in a posse that examines cold cases for him. Other posses assist deputies in duties that include providing free police protection at malls during the holiday season or transporting people to jail.
The sheriff remains popular among Republicans. GOP presidential candidates have courted his endorsement throughout the primary season. At last week's Republican presidential debate in Arizona, Arpaio won loud cheers. During a question about Arizona's border woes, former Sen. Rick Santorum said the government ought to give local police agencies the chance to enforce immigration law as Arpaio has.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The sheriff is correct.
I don't thinks this dumb redneck is an expert on Hawaiian Documents. He's just another dumb republican who is too busy doing thing not related to his job rather than DOING HIS JOB.
of course you do. Because we all know that a sheriff under investigation is a lot smarter then all the other people that have looked into this issue and walked away with nothing... yeah right.....
Procuste you must either work for MCSO or be one of Joes little patsys
Procustes is simply a troll.
Here is what I do not understand. Nobody here in this "Posse" is saying that Obama was not born in the US, none of them are saying that he is not eligible to be president, they are just saying that the documents he provided are forged. I would hope that our system is not so broken that a man who was not eligible to be president could just skate through with forged documents, but I would like to know for sure. Just from what I have read there is more than enough to make an honest person question this matter. His SS# is from Connecticut, but he was born in Hawaii. Hawaii has stonewalled any attempt to look into the matter. According to this investigation his SS# does not even pass an E-Verify check. I read in the report that INS has no records of travel in or out of the country during the week Obama was born in its archives. Now an electronic forensic expert has said that the birth certificate and Selective Service card was electronically forged?
Like I said, I would like to think that this is all just made up as I cannot imagine the damage it would do to this country to find out that Obama is not eligible to serve as president. If this is all just made up then let it play out in a court, the end result will be the end of many of Obama's opponents' careers. I think, whether you support Obama or not, you have to admit that there are questions that need to be answered, now the best way to deal with those questions is up for debate.
I fear you are wrong and the system is indeed irreparably broken; like the old Roman republic we have gone too far down the road to autocratic rule to ever return. A crisis like Caesar crossing the Rubicon will drive us the rest of the way. "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." - Somebody/somewhere/sometime
'"I'm not going after Obama," said Arpaio, who has criticized the president's administration for cutting off his federal immigration powers and conducting the civil rights investigation of his office. "I'm just doing my job."'
So, his job is to investigate someone who was never born in his district or his state, but was born in a state (that is part of the United States, folks) thousands of miles outside of his jurisdiction?
And you expect us to believe you?
For those who do believe him, I have some beachfront property in the Dakotas to sell you.
The elections are run by the individual states, and the states delegate them to individual localities. As the chief law enforcement officer he would have jurisdiction only to remove Obama from the ballot in Maricopa county.
Moose8684 it is not his job to investigate even for the state elections let alone POTUS. Try again.
Say who? He is the chief law enforcement officer in his County and as such it is his job. Who do you think is responsible for this? S
Actually the DA is the chief Law Enforcement officer. He is just a dumb Sheriff who is trying to make points with the Teabaggers.
No the DA is the head attorney in the area, an attorney is not a law ENFORCEMENT officer.
Arpaio... just deflecting attention away from him. Arpaio is just showing what an ass he has become...
The entire SSN debate is ridiculous. President Obama was born well before 1986 when it became mandatory to apply for them at birth. Prior to that many individuals did not apply for them until they were 14 or even older since it was for identifying income. Most kids didn't have large interest bearing money accounts or jobs. This whole birther issue is ludicrous.
Why is Obama's social security number from an eastern state when he was born in Hawaii?
BECAUSE they are assigned by the local you apply from, not from where you were born. Remember, kiddies, that in 1961, infants were not assigned social security numbers. You didn't get one, until you needed to have one for your first paying job.
Easy. So you can thank me, and quit bothering your little cotton-ball birther brains.
That is not really the part that worries me as much as the fact that this investigation (for what its worth) claims that the combination of his name/ SS# does not pass an E-Verify check. From my understanding that means that that particular SS# is not assigned to him in the SS database.
Again Republican teabaggies just grasping at straws. They act dumber and dumber everyday. If I was a republican I would be ASHAMED of what my party has become. It's the laughing stock of the world.
Why I am I dumb? I didn't know it was dumb to ask questions.
I was born in Pennsylvania,but my social security number is from Colorado. Do you want to see my birth certificate also. I'll tell you what Obama should tell you. Go screw yourself.
The only thing dumber than a Birther is another Birther.
As you add them together, the cumulative IQ actually decreases. Two birthers who each have an IQ of 60, will have a cumulative IQ of only 30 when they are trying to talk to each other.
LOL!!! You are absolutely correct sir!!!
A new national laughing stock! What a joke this guy is.
Can we please move on from this issue. Enough already. The sad part is that there are people out there that believe this jerk. There are far more important issues to be dealt with rather than the issue of Obama's birth certificate. The media should quit reporting this nonsense.
250 Tea Party Members can get Arpaio to spend time and resources to investigate the validity of the President's birth certificate, yet Arpaio couldn't investigate over 400 sex abuse cases, many with child victims, despite the fact that he was paid $3.7 million dollars by the City of El Mirage and was contractually obligated to do so? That is, until years later, when the press got wind of the uninvestigated cases and it became a political liability for him.
Arpaio offered this half @ss'd apology, "IF, there are any victims, I apologize."
The kind of person in Arpaio we're dealing with here is the bottom of the bucket scummiest of all scummy politicians.
Up until now this investigation has been privately funded.
Loook at that face in the picture. I thought Bull Conners was dead. This man is full of hate. Add this to the racist judge in Montana and you get the Teaturds problem with Obama... It is NOT if he is a Muslim... socialist....communist... Those are just words for their real problem.. HE IS BLACK!
Yup. Birthers are just too cowardly to say what they really want to say.
He is driving nails into the coffin of his career. "Say it isn't so Joe!"
Do you notice that none of you liberals dispute the fact of the fake birth certificate and selective service card? All you do is attack a sheriff who is doing his job to investigate crimes. You know that Obama is a fraud and all you can do now is poison the well by attacking Sheriff Arpaio personally! The evidence is clear against MR obama, its time to take the blinders off! We are worse off than when he took over in 2008!
Anyone but Obama 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well there surely won't be a Republican President in 2012 or 2013 because they haven't found one to run yet. The three clowns they have now make the THREE STOOGES LOOKS SMART. And this backward yokel is what everyone think a redneck sheriff would be. Dumb and acts dumber everyday.
The person who stated about the Social Security card was 100% correct. I was born in Tennessee and I got my SS card in CAlifornia at the age of 15.
There is no degree of stupid. You can be just a little stupid, just like you can't be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you aren't....and this sheriff is obviously an expert at being stupid.
Stupid is stupid and there seem to be quite a few Republicans out there who are leading the stupid pack. They're all playing follow the leader. It's a stupid parade and this sheriff is right at the front of the line with people like Rush, Santorum, Romney, Bush, Cheney, Hanity, Fox News, and all the birthers.
We should get a picture of the entire stupid group and put it in the dictionary right next to the word2
I am surprised he has not yet had his 'heart attack' like Breitbart
...and Arpaio is a cynical moron....and an idiot...I am just saying...
This guy should be forged and feathered.
Back in 1985 when Rosco P. Coltrane entered the witness protection program and moved to Arizona (assuming the name "Sheriff Arpaio" in the process) there was a lot of hope that he had turned a corner and would finally make something of himself. Instead he resumed his life as an absurd jackass. Now, without Lucas, Bo and Daisy around to keep him in check he's made quite a mess of Arizona.
all of you folks must know that Obama has three web sites now - Attackwatch.com is the one where his supporters are supposed to report those of us that think he's a farce. Sort of like the Gestapo. I have received emails asking if I would like to blog for him - so many of these bloggers have been recruited and some are paid. He also is asking if anyone would like to be a community organizer - you know how he did in the last election using ACORN to drum up new voters - some or many of whom never lived at all. He is doing that now. You can also go to his web site and give him $3 for a chance to dine with him. He has just selected the first recipient so he had collected millions on an auction. Bill Ayers also did this a few months ago - he auctioned off a night with himself and his significant other - I think there were two bids. Anyway, I am just cautioning that some of the bloggers are trained on what to say - you know stuff true or not. They get trained on what to say. Be careful what you believe.
That lithium's not working out very well for you, is it?
And this bigoted Sheriff from Arizona is an expert on Hawaiian Documents? I think he should to enforcing laws in Arizona and STFU. He's just another dumb republican trying to make him something better than he is.
He IS enforcing laws in Arizona! If Barry committed fraud (which he clearly has) than he is a federal criminal and should be charged and given a fair trial. The truth always comes out.. tick tock MR obama!
I wouldn't doubt that you believe what you say. You spend too much time watching Fox News and it made dumb as dumb could be. If Obama was illegal trust me on this-The Republican would have found out by now and PROVEN IT BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. It's just dumb rednecks like you just don't want a BLACK PERSON PRESIDENT. The only reason this is reared up again is because you Republican don't have a chance in HELL of wining the Presidency this election.
Should we institue the death penalty for racism?
There would be a lot of dead teabaggers and birthers...no great loss, though.
I think we would end executing a lot of Republicans.
Anyone who thinks or believes Obama's birth certificate is a fake, is seriously delusional, and in MHO extremely retarded. Get over the fact that a half black man won the Presidential election....that 'fake' birth certificate, like the insinuation of Obama being Muslim, etc that you self-styled 'conservatives' concoct, is just racism repackaged and EVERYONE knows it. So go away you stupid dinosaurs and join your brothers in extinction because this world has no place for the likes of you idiot racists.....you are seriously out of touch with reality and likely need some medication to control your extremely sociopathic delusions. It is apparent that you cannot grasp reality in the least. People are laughing at you, not with you.....because you are so very very stupid. Just like Southerners who think "the South shall rise again"....hahahahaha, it will not, you lost, get over it already.
sheriff joe is in enough legal trouble, so he's trying to shift the focus to something else; sheriff joe will be doing the "perp walk" very soon and we'll all have a great laugh
Our own Putin (but not as cool)
Enough! If there was any truth to the allegations that President Obama wasn't born in the U.S. etc., it would have come out in "08 or before! Where's the proof? Can't somebody get a hold of airline records that would verify his parents traveling to Kenya at the time of the President's birth? How about a witness or two, who could affirm that his parents, and she would have been very pregnant, were on the same oversees flight as they were? Where is the proof? There isn't any, so enough already.
Actually the microfilm records that show anyone who travels into U.S. for August 1st-7th of 1961 have "mysteriously" dissapeared. His birth date was the 4th of August 1961. So like you say there isn't any proof.. that he is a citizen. It is clear that fraud has been committed on his birth certificate and selective service card. Who can you say to that?
LOL what joke you are.
Prove it. If you say that fraud has been committed and the President isn't a citizen, prove it. If you're saying that the microfilm has "mysteriously vanished" then who took it? When did it happen? What evidence do you have that can back up what you're alleging?
Again, bring forth the evidence and prove your allegations.
It is a part of the report Missy, you should read it before you just make a blanket statement dismissing everything as a conspiracy theory. The INS records of all people coming in and out of the country are missing for the week Obama was born (according to the investigation). I do not have access to these records and I have not personally seen that the records are missing, but if this is a false allegation then I am sure there will be an explanation.
yo - moose - hit the reset button on your elevator. You're stuck a few floors short of the roof
Why is that? I am not saying it is true, all I was saying is read the freaking report. The fact of the matter is that you have no more real knowledge on whether those records are missing than I do. If it is true that those records are missing, would you not be interested to know why, out of 100+ years of records, the only week that is missing is the week that the president was supposedly born in Hawaii? If you find out that they are missing and still don't care, then you are a blind follower and you are in fact the crazy one here. I hope to God that this is all just a coincidence, because as I stated in another post, I cannot imagine the damage that this will cause to the country if true. With that said, just because I want something to not be true does not mean I simply bury my head in the sand and pretend like it is all a bad dream.
not that it matters - but explain the newspaper announcement, then.
I believe that we will eventually find that BO has a lot of skeletons in his closet and that he was trained when he came to university to become the most radical, leftist anti-American President that we have ever had. He was selected for that reason and he gathered around him the likes of Ayers and Jeremiah Wright. Obama and his cronies knew exactly what they wanted and it wasn't the good of our country.
*yawn*
Size 10 tinfoil hat, eh, nperk10195? You DO realize how stupid you sound, right?
Oh, you're NOT stupid? Funny, I guess it's just that tinfoil hat getting a bit tighter on your head and squeezing what little sense there is out of your brain.
Question how does a sheriff in Arizona know if a birth certificate from Hawaii is a fake. I think their DL's that expire when you turn 65 are fakes. Get a life birther's we have bigger problems. Try something more relevant like say the healthcare bill.that will give you thousands of pages you can call fake.