Liddy falsely claimed there is a "sworn statement from the stepgrandmother" saying Obama was born in Kenya
SUMMARY: On Hardball, G. Gordon Liddy falsely claimed that there is "a deposition ... from the stepgrandmother, who says, 'I was present and saw [President Obama] born in Mombasa.' " In fact, while WorldNetDaily claims to have affidavits from two people purportedly involved in an interview with Obama's stepgrandmother, those individuals' accounts have been discredited, and even WND does not claim to have a sworn statement from the stepgrandmother herself.
Advancing the conspiracy theory that President Obama lacks a valid birth certificate and is therefore ineligible to be president, radio host G. Gordon Liddy falsely claimed during the July 23 edition of MSNBC's Hardball that there is "a deposition, which is a sworn statement, from the stepgrandmother, who says, 'I was present and saw [Obama] born in Mombasa, Kenya.' " In fact, while the conservative news website WorldNetDaily claims to be "in possession" of affidavits from Anabaptist minister Ron McRae and Rev. Kweli Shuhubia, two individuals who purportedly took part in a telephone interview with the president's stepgrandmother, McRae's and Shuhubia's accounts have been discredited, and even WorldNetDaily does not claim to have a "sworn statement" from the stepgrandmother herself.
According to WorldNetDaily, McRae and Shuhubia each asserted in their affidavits that President Obama's stepgrandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama, told them that President Obama was born in Mombasa. However, in a December 4, 2008, Slate.com article, David Weigel noted that McRae provided Pennsylvania attorney Philip J. Berg with only a "partial transcript of the call" and that the "rest of the call" showed that McRae was repeatedly told during the interview that "the president-elect was born in Hawaii":
On Oct. 16, an Anabaptist minister named Ron McRae called Sarah Hussein Obama, the president-elect's 86-year-old paternal step-grandmother, at her home in Kenya. Two translators were on the line when McRae asked if the elder Obama was "present" when the president-elect was born. One of the translators says "yes." McRae contacted Berg and gave him a partial transcript of the call with a signed affidavit. He opted not to include the rest of the call, in which he asks the question more directly -- "Was he born in Mombassa?" -- and the translators, finally understanding him, tell him repeatedly that the president-elect was born in Hawaii.
In a December 5, 2008, War Room post, Salon.com's Alex Koppelman similarly noted that the full audio of the interview indicates that McRae was told "over and over again, that Obama was born in the U.S.":
During the interview, which was conducted through a translator by a street preacher named Ron McRae, Sarah Obama does in fact say she was present. But it's clear that there was a mistranslation, because as soon as McRae very excitedly starts to try to get additional details, the people on the other end of the line realize what's happened and say, over and over again, that Obama was born in the U.S.
For some reason, the transcripts of the interview that have been posted on various right-wing Web sites all seem to cut off right after Sarah Obama says she was there when her grandson was born. So does this YouTube video with the audio of the interview. But as The Economist points out, McRae also released the full audio, in which the key parts of the conversation can be heard. Here's part of it. (The other person speaking is translator Vitalis Akech Ogombe.)
MCRAE: When I come in December. I would like to come by the place, the hospital, where he was born. Could you tell me where he was born? Was he born in Mombasa?
OGOMBE: No, Obama was not born in Mombasa. He was born in America.
MCRAE: Whereabouts was he born? I thought he was born in Kenya.
OGOMBE: No, he was born in America, not in Mombasa.
MCRAE: Do you know where he was born? I thought he was born in Kenya. I was going to go by and see where he was born.
OGOMBE: Hawaii. Hawaii. Sir, she says he was born in Hawaii. In the state of Hawaii, where his father was also learning, there. The state of Hawaii.
Additionally, the Chicago Tribune reported on December 3, 2008: "The translator said he was one of two interpreters conducting the interview in a crowded hut during a celebration, over a speaker phone that dropped the call three times."
As Media Matters has detailed, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to kill journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to kill Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The homicide, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton.
From the July 23 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
CHRIS MATTHEWS (host): This is all available, Gordon. Here it is. [Certification of Live birth is shown on screen.] So we have the number. What do you think now?
LIDDY: Well, I would like to check it out. The preponderance of the evidence is as follows. You've got a deposition, which is a sworn statement, from the stepgrandmother, who says, "I was present and saw him born in Mombasa, Kenya." You've got the certificate of live birth that they have here. It's not a birth certificate. It says right on it, "certificate of live birth."
[...]
MATTHEWS: But you claim he was born in the Kenyan slums. You say that as a fact.
LIDDY: No, in a hospital in Mombasa. I didn't say the Kenyan slums.
E. STEVEN COLLINS (WRNB radio talk show host): What's the difference? Chris, Chris --
MATTHEWS: I mean, where -- which hospital in Mombasa? I mean, I've been over there so many times. Where is this -- all this happened? You have a whole history of this fellow in Kenya. Do we have any evidence it ever happened?
LIDDY: What ever happened?
MATTHEWS: That he was born in Kenya?
LIDDY: Yeah, I've got the deposition of the stepgrandmother, who said that she witnessed it.
MATTHEWS: OK.
COLLINS: Stepgrandmother.
MATTHEWS: Your witness.
And I don't mean Clark Terry.
I'm getting to the point where I nearly begin to what to pull out my hair at the total stupidity and I stare in amazement at how the right-wing is able to make mountains out of mole hills with such ease, with no care in world as to the damage it causes the fabric of of this nation.
What is he hiding?
If he was born in Hawaii as he claims, why not just release the paperwork and be done with it?
If George Bush refused to release some paperwork the media would be all over it.
In case you were born just 6 months ago, Bush DID refuse to release his TNG paperwork. Dan Rather produced a fascimile document, and he was railroaded out of a job.
Conger, that's what I keep wanting to ask people like uspatriot (Great screen name by the way). Where have they been?
When the birther conspiracy first surfaced, I heard it from an aquaintance, an older woman who gets a lot of wingnut emails.She seemed to give it some credibility, for about a week. Fortunately , she is sane, and was able to figure out the hoax pretty quickly.
I thought it was pretty funny that she even fell for it at all, but the propaganda looked pretty convincing before it was contested. I cut her a little slack.
I can't be as generous with dim bulbs like uspatriot. How is it possible, after all of this exposure in the media, to go to a website with multiple items showing the facts, and still believe the hoax?
That must take a lot of work, being that ignorant.
I believe there's a lot of truth in that little nugget. Thanks, Col.
Don't you ever wonder what the former president did at Yale? He was a memeber of Skull and Bones, a highly secretive organization - maybe you should demand to know what they do. What do you suppose they have to hide?
Please don't be obtuse.
If you were truly a patriot, as your screen name claims, you would accept the will of the people and move on. It's okay to disagree with the policies of the president and congress, but it is unpatriotic to attack the character of a man who was deemed the best choice by a democratic majority.
Oh, and George Bush was asked to reveal the secrets of Skull and Bones and he refused to do so. The media let it slide. Your filters are skewed.
Right wing nutz who refuse to accept the truth aren't going to be satisfied with more truth.
Mr. Matthews did a great job with this interview. This is journalism, folks. Do your homework, get the facts, go interview someone who is making wild claims (i.e., "Barack Obama was born in the slums of Kenya")and expose the liar.
While it is pathetic to see this poor old man stumbling and fumbling through his non-answers, the fact remains that he went on the air with these lies and must take responsibility for them.
Remember Bob Schieffer interviewing Col. Ollie North before the Super Bowl when he pinned him down time after time with facts? For my money Mr. Matthews' interview here is just as good, and that is saying something.
Well played! You betcha!
By the way, Elvis is dead and men have walked on the moon.
Because current Hawaiian law won't allow him to do more than he already has. The already released certified Certificate of Live Birth is what the Hawaiian Health Department issues in lieu of a traditional birth certificate, and what's used in place of a birth certificate for all purposes (school registration, obtaining a passport, etc.)
Phew! That was easy.
No they don't. They have a deposition (of sorts) from the people who listened in on the translation of the phone call with the grandmother.
None of what Sarah Obama said would be admissible in court, unless they flew Sarah Obama to the courthouse and had her swear under oath. It's called Hearsay.
A first-year law student could get the evidence that they have kicked out of court. I have no clue why they're hanging their hat on this.
The really funny part is that Liddy acknowledges the President has a Certificate of Birth, but hasn't produced a birth certificate. This level of willful ignorance is extraordinary.
I won't believe WND has an affidavit until I hold it in my own two hands. Not a picture on the internet, not a copy, but the real thing, which can be proven to not be a forgery.
The state of Hawaii has validated the Cert of live birth and verified its being accurate and containg the same info as the original (long form?) Birth Certificate.It looks the same as what I have gotten on several occasions for passport applications!!!Why is it more credible to believe a story that a step grandmother alleges versus officials of a US state including its Governor!!!??Anyone thinking this is just about exercising constitutional right is being naive or delusional.This is just more racism and attempts at political destruction!!!That not even Michael Steel will refute this nonsense shows what Republicans are hoping for.....Some how some way attack enough to prevent an Obama re-election.They know some legitimate policy disagreements from the 1st term will help them.If they can grow the lunatic fringe using identity politics and divisiveness they might squeak out an electorial win. Its not new just dirtier than ever because they have a black president to target.It won't be said that way but that's what it is pure and simple!!!!If Republican wanted real racial progress they would refute this kind of nonsense.
Barack Obama's mother was an American citizen. Even if Barack was not born in Hawaii, doesn't the fact that his mother is American automatically make him a natural born American citizen anyway?
That gives Obama zero reason to lie about where he was born!
I fail to see what the birthers are trying to achive by hoping for a birth on foreign soil.
Congress passed a special resolution for war hero McCain to resolve any doubt. I believe he may have been born off the miltary base in the Canal zone and thus not technically born in U.S. territory.
It would make him a citizen of the US but not naturally born. If he was born in Kenya which obviously he was not he would have dual citizenship.
I am only suggesting that he eats tin foil because he likes shiny things. And at the home, he can crinkle the foil, make a hat out of it, see himself in it and eat it.
P.S. Don't give him a Slinky.
HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Sorry ya'll but the majority of Americans voted for an African-America man over a white Republican man. It is called a Democracy.
Liddy was born on the planet Neptune, prove that he didn't.
WHY fight this so hard?