Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is pleased that at least two Republican congressmen have publicly expressed doubts about the legitimacy of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.
Last week Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler told the Sedalia Democrat, “I have doubts that it is really his real birth certificate, and I think a lot of Americans do.” According to the paper, “Hartzler declined to say whether she believes Obama is a U.S. citizen.”
In February Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns told constituents at a town hall meeting, “The question is, is it legitimate? That’s where we stand now.”
In a statement provided to The Daily Caller, Arpaio applauded the two congressmen.
“I appreciate these two representatives having the courage to speak out about the legitimacy of the Obama Birth Certificate released by the White House,” Arpaio said.
Last month Arpaio released a report compiled by a five-member “cold case posse” whom he had personally selected to evaluate allegations that Obama’s birth certificate was fraudulent.
Obama released the long-form version of his birth certificate last year, after a media firestorm generated by billionaire businessman and reality TV personality Donald Trump — who at the time was exploring the idea of seeking the GOP presidential nomination.
The release of that long-form Hawaii birth certificate was a prominent demand of the so-called “birther” movement. After the document was released, public discussion of the issue largely died out.
During a jaw-dropping March 1 press conference in Phoenix, Apraio refocused attention on the president’s birth certificate by unveiling his long-awaited “posse” report. He told reporters that there was “probable cause” to suspect that the long-form birth certificate is a “computer-generated forgery.”
The sheriff, who oversees law enforcement in the 3-million-person county encompassing Phoenix, said that “the perpetrators” of the alleged crime “should be brought to justice.”
But at the same press conference, Arpaio acknowledged that individuals skeptical of the birth certificate’s authenticity had hit a dead end and were short of pathways to move forward. (SEE ALSO: Former Ariz. GOP congressman: Sheriff Arpaio ‘a major embarrassment to our state’)
The comments from Hartzler and Stearns appear to have given Arpaio a reason to be optimistic about the future of the “birther” movement.
“I feel it is time for a congressional hearing to address the facts in this matter,” said Arpaio, after congratulating the two lawmakers.
