Calling in to Quinn & Rose from Kenya, Corsi said of his detention: "[C]all Barack's office and ask him why I'm being detained"

During the October 7 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, author Jerome Corsi called in to the program from Kenya, where Corsi was attempting to promote his book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, and stated that he and his staff were "being detained by the immigration of Kenya 'cause they lost our entry papers." Corsi repeatedly suggested Obama was responsible for his detention, stating at one point: "[J]ust don't write anything bad about Senator Obama, because, otherwise, this is what happens to you."

During the interview, Corsi said, "[W]e had meetings with top government officials here in Nairobi. Everybody knew we were here. But we try to do a press conference, and then, you know, then you get detained. So, there's free speech in Kenya for ya," to which co-host Jim Quinn replied: "And soon to be free speech here, by the way." Corsi later said, "The government knew we were doing this press conference -- at the very top -- but they didn't tell their immigration people," and went on to suggest that Obama was responsible for his detention:

QUINN: You don't suppose they got a call from Barack's cousin [Kenyan Prime Minister Raila] Odinga, do you?

CORSI: Well, how 'bout from Barack?

ROSE TENNENT (co-host): I wouldn't be surprised. Do you want us to call anybody here in the States?

QUINN: The State Department?

CORSI: Call Barack's office and -- call Barack's office and ask him why I'm being detained.

QUINN: Well, you know, Jerome, we got -- we had a news story this morning about a guy that was arrested for simply engaging in political debate with some Barack followers in Vermont.

CORSI: Tell you what: I think it's pretty dangerous -- it's pretty dangerous to write a critical book of Barack Obama. I wouldn't advise anybody do it.

While Corsi claimed that he was being detained because immigration had lost his entry papers, other media outlets reported that Corsi was detained because he attempted to promote his book without a work permit.

As Media Matters for America has noted, Corsi has repeatedly suggested that the Obama campaign is attempting to censor him. He previously questioned whether "an Obama administration might have a censorship department in which a book critical of a President Obama might be banned from publication?" He also said on the August 16 edition on C-SPAN's Washington Journal that if Obama were elected president and someone were to write a book critical of him, "Obama might just have to create a department of hate crimes and put them in jail." As Media Matters has noted, in appearances on C-SPAN and other media outlets, Corsi has promoted the falsehoods in his book even though they have been widely discredited.

Later in the broadcast, Tennent wondered what "options" the Kenyan immigration officers were considering with regards to Corsi, prompting Quinn to reply: "Yeah, you gonna boil him and eat him, or what?" Quinn added, referring to Odinga, "Well, anyway, we'll see how that turns out, but I -- given the close contact between Odinga and Mr. Obama -- which is very close, just look at the history of the election over there, and the phone calls back and forth between Odinga and Obama -- it's not out of the question that this is part of the same intimidation tactics that we're seeing here in this country, with truth squads, sheriffs, prosecutors intimating that Barack Obama -- they're intimating that you could get -- you could be at the wrong end of a criminal charge. "

Media Matters has also noted that Quinn's assertions that Obama and Odinga are "cousin[s]" in "close contact" has reportedly been denied by the Obama campaign and Obama's Kenyan uncle, and has been disputed by the website PolitiFact.com. While Odinga claimed, "Barack Obama's father is my maternal uncle" in a January BBC interview, Obama's Kenyan uncle reportedly said that: "Odinga's mother came from this area, so it is normal for us to talk about cousins. But he is not a blood relative." An April 18 PolitiFact.com fact check of a chain email that also claimed Odinga is Obama's cousin stated that the Obama campaign denied Obama was related to Odinga and reported that "[Salim] Lone, Odinga's spokesman, said cousins in the African sense is very different from cousins in the American sense, so they might be distant relatives." According to PolitiFact.com, one Kenya expert said Odinga's claim is "stretched to the point of ridiculousness," while another said that the claim is "very opportunistic and it should be totally disregarded."

Talkers Magazine lists Quinn & Rose on its "Heavy Hundred" list, which it describes as a list of the "100 most important radio talk show hosts in America." According to the show's website, it airs on 18 radio stations and XM Satellite Radio.

From the October 7 broadcast of Clear Channel's The War Room with Quinn & Rose:

QUINN: It is a pleasure to welcome back to the show once again Dr. Jerome Corsi. Well, I guess -- I guess he sort of took your advice there, Rose.

TENNENT: I guess you did, Jerome.

CORSI: What's that?

TENNENT: You went -- last time you were on this show, I said, "How about you and I going over to Nairobi, and finding the brother?"

CORSI: Well, I tell you, I'm here now, and the -- we were gonna do a press conference today at 10 o'clock, and of course the immigration showed up, so now you're gonna get a real opportunity here. We -- we're being detained by the immigration of Kenya 'cause they lost our entry papers.

TENNENT: Oh, did they?

CORSI: After we had -- so we're currently in escort here with immigration officials, armed guards at the airport, they're looking for their entry card that they lost. OK, we're told we're not being under arrest, we're not being detained, we're not being deported, but they lost the -- we had meetings with top government officials here in Nairobi. Everybody knew we were here. But we try to do a press conference, and then, you know, then you get detained. So, there's free speech in Kenya for you.

QUINN: And soon to be free speech here, by the way.

TENNENT: Yeah, unbelievable.

CORSI: Well, just don't write anything bad about Senator Obama, because, otherwise, this is what happens to you.

TENNENT: Oh, my god.

[...]

CORSI: The government knew we were doing this press conference -- at the very top -- but they didn't tell their immigration people.

QUINN: You don't suppose they got a call from Barack's cousin Odinga, do you?

CORSI: Well, how about from Barack?

TENNENT: I wouldn't be surprised. Do you want us to call anybody here in the States?

QUINN: The State Department?

CORSI: Call Barack's office and -- call Barack's office and ask him why I'm being detained.

QUINN: Well, you know, Jerome, we got -- we got -- we had a news story this morning about a guy that was arrested for simply engaging in political debate with some Barack followers in Vermont.

CORSI: Tell you what: I think it's pretty dangerous -- it's pretty dangerous to write a critical book of Barack Obama. I wouldn't advise anybody do it.

[...]

TENNENT: So, I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know what's happening over there right now.

QUINN: Well, I'm sure that Obama had nothing to do with it.

TENNENT: Yeah, they said they still haven't -- Carlos Maluta, who's the senior immigration officer in charge of investigations, said Dr. Corsi did not have a work permit. "We still haven't decided what to do with him," he said. Well, what are your options, I'd like to know?

QUINN: Yeah, you gonna boil him and eat him, or what?

TENNENT: Oh, my gosh. All right. Oh, my goodness.

QUINN: Well, anyway, that's -- we'll see how that turns out, but I -- when you -- given the close contact between Odinga and Mr. Obama -- which is very close, just look at the history of the election over there, and the phone calls back and forth between Odinga and Obama -- it's not out of the question that this is part of the same intimidation tactics that we're seeing here in this country, with truth squads, sheriffs, prosecutors intimating that Barack Obama -- they're intimating that you could get -- you could be at the wrong end of a criminal charge.

I mean, let's not forget what they did a couple of weeks ago, the guy that -- what was his name, Simmons? He put that commercial out there linking [William] Ayers and Obama together, and Obama -- his people went to the Bush Justice Department demanding a criminal prosecution of this man. Fortunately, that Justice Department said no. What do you think an Obama Justice Department will do?