Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Sheriff, Says Media Conspiracy Against Birthers Is 'Bigger Than Watergate'

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County law enforcer who is leading an widely derided investigation into the authenticity of President Obama's birth certificate, believes that the media is purposefully downplaying birthers' efforts in a conspiracy "bigger than Watergate."

In an interview with the Arizona Republic's E.J. Montini, Arpaio said he believes the press is intentionally making the issue seem less important than it is. He also discussed the press conference he held earlier this month about his probe into President Obama's birth certificate.

"The media all came to make fun of me," he said of the March 1 press conference. "I'm a little concerned that all of their questions were zeroed in on credibility and that this has been rehashed. They didn't even ask about the proof of the case. They didn't ask about the facts that we had."

Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" in America, used the press conference to unveil the preliminary results of his investigation into Obama's birth certificate. Arpaio, along with a "posse" of volunteer investigators, said there is reason to believe that the official copy of the president's birth certificate, released by the White House last spring, is a forgery.

The theory that President Obama was not born in the United States has been widely debunked, and the state of Hawaii has verified the authenticity of his birth certificate. His birth was also listed in the local newspaper at the time. However, that has not stopped birthers like Arpaio from continuing to question Obama's citizenship.

Recently, birther efforts have expanded to state legislatures, where lawmakers have attempted to add extra restrictions to ensure all candidates for the presidency are actually citizens. For example, an Arizona bill that passed the state House would require candidates to provide birth certificates or other citizenship documentation in order to get on the state's ballot.

In his interview with Montini, the Arizona sheriff stopped short of accusing Hawaiian officials of engaging in a conspiracy. However, he believes that they should still be investigated.

"You know there’s corruption everywhere," he said. "I’m not saying they’re corrupt. I’m not saying they’re lying. But we have to look into it.”

Arpaio also maintained that his own political leanings were irrelevant to the investigation.

“I don’t care about the politics,” he said. “That has nothing to do with it.”

Comments

[PJ43033]

01:07 AM on 04/20/2012

Interesting slant. So what about Obama's lawyers admitting to the forgery during the NJ Ballot hearing? A lot of people blasting the Right for such "conspiracy theories," but son one really saying much about what actually makes Obama look like a fraud. To me, if anything looks damning when it comes to this issue it would be the Administration's video taped admission to the forged birth certificate and then claiming the forgery is so bad that it can't even be used as evidence against Obama - the judge agreed! (No shock there). The fact of the matter is that this is not a left versus issues; it is the potential loss of all that Americanism is. Sadly, we are now so divided we do not even realize we are being conqoured.

[noslowey]

04:34 PM on 04/23/2012

Uh... what? Admitting to what forgery? Experts with actual credentials, not some random sheriff and his "posse" who have zero experience dealing with documents and scans thereof, have determined President Obama's long-form BC to be genuine. Who exactly are you claiming has admitted this forgery, and what did they supposedly admit was forged?

[bobk in nh]

05:46 PM on 04/19/2012

"I’m not saying they’re corrupt. I’m not saying they’re lying. But we have to look into it.”

I'm not saying he's nuts, I'm not sayin he's crazy, but we have to look into it.

[reporter1]

01:51 PM on 04/19/2012

This guy's crazy even by Arizona standards--and that's saying something.

[blueinannarbor]

10:23 AM on 04/04/2012

Two things that strike me as obvious evidence that Obama's election created such an intellectual implosion among the GOP that many of those afflicted need to be medicated for the balance of the Obama Presidency. The first one is that we are talking about birth control in the 21st century. What's next? Are we going to have a protracted battle over the cotton gin? This is the second one. I'd say this exercise in idiocy known as the birther movement is a waste of good gray matter, but one can hardly say much actual thought has been brought to bear in the process of furthering this 'issue'.

[Dan in MA]

01:12 PM on 03/29/2012

"The only people who don't want to disclose the truth are people with something to hide"

Barack Hussein Obama

[TwinX]

01:35 PM on 03/29/2012

Yes, and he showed you his BC early 4 years ago.

PS here's a list of the media outlets that covered silly Old Joe Arpaio's WND/Corsi funded birther presser:

http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2012/03/media-blackout-on-arizona-cold-case-posse/

[bdaved]

06:08 PM on 04/02/2012

All right, then. What are Mike Zullo's law enforcement credentials?

[Fred M White]

01:11 PM on 03/29/2012

"I don't care about politics. That has nothing to do with it". He may be telling the truth, it may just be old fashioned racism. I have several relatives of his age group and they all buy into the birther nonsense and I know from my conversations with them that their issue is having a "colored" man as President. I foolishly thought the election of President Obama would bring equality about more quickly, maybe it will, but it has also brought all of this latent racism to the surface as well. Maybe that will make it easier to skim it from society like scum from a pond. It may take another generation or two but I have to believe, I have to believe that someday we will finally reach that day that MLK Jr. spoke of, when women and men are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. That day can't come soon enough.

[awdgator1]

12:42 PM on 03/28/2012

"You know there’s corruption everywhere," he said. "I’m not saying they’re corrupt. I’m not saying they’re lying. But we have to look into it.”
Maybe someone should look into you, Joe!

[Moose Luck 99]

07:13 PM on 03/27/2012

Joe ask for his "DRAFT CARD" please!

We are missing out on the Arctic boom the rest of the world is in on!

http://larouchepac.com/windowtospace

[kbeth]

07:39 AM on 03/25/2012

It is always the most corrupt who accuse others of corruption...........Is it deflection or a need to see others as the same low-life scum that they are?

[allencollinsa]

05:42 AM on 03/23/2012

DOES JOE KNOW THAT HE MAKES HIMSELF LOOK LIKE A ABSOLUTE IGNORANT IDIOT, I WOULD SAY TO SCUM LIKE JOE THAT GOD IS GOING TO BURN YOUR ASS ONEDAY.

[Steven Peters]

12:09 AM on 03/23/2012

WELL, WELL, WELL:

"The Certificate of Hawaiian Birth program was established in 1911, during the territorial era, to register a person born in Hawaii who was one year old or older and whose birth had not been previously registered in Hawaii. The Certificate of Hawaiian Birth Program was terminated in 1972, during the statehood era."

http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/hawnbirth.html

[TwinX]

01:39 PM on 03/29/2012

Obama's birth in Hawaii was registered when he was 4 days old, not one year or older as indicated by this statute.

So, your point?

[Mtber]

10:52 PM on 03/22/2012

Watch the press conference and then decide.

[TwinX]

01:40 PM on 03/29/2012

I watched it! Comedy gold from start to finish.

Get back to me when Arpaio presents his 'evidence of fraud' to the county DA. I understand he's not done so yet.

[bdaved]

06:09 PM on 04/02/2012

Don't forget to give these a good look, too:
http://www.thefogbow.com/arpaio-report/
http://www.obamabirthbook.com/http:/www.obamabirthbook.com/2012/03/on-the-release-of-report-from-sheriff-joe-arpaio-stating-barack-obamas-birth-certificate-is-a-forgery/

[Bob Metcalfe]

06:34 PM on 03/22/2012

F'od's sake. This is America, land of no secrets. If the certificate was forged the forger would've sold his story to the gutter press by now :-).

[Mtber]

10:56 PM on 03/22/2012

Yes and then be arrested for forgery. That would be real smart.

[Bob Metcalfe]

12:55 AM on 03/23/2012

People do all sorts of stupid things for 15 minutes of fame :-). But it doesn't have to be the forger. This would be an epic conspiracy, SOMEONE would squeal.

[Joe Arpaio]

11:25 AM on 03/22/2012

This is a threat of retaliation by one of the sheriff's top media people and another MCSO official. The retaliatory threat concerns reporting of crime to a law enforcement agency (a first Amendment activity).

From: [e-mail]

Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:32:13 -0700
Subject: RE: Scott Huminski

I have made this request now for the second time. I do not wish to receive any further information concerning this matter. Any futher emails concerning this I will consider it to be harrassment and turn it over to the county attorney for further review.

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:31:51 -0700
Subject: FW: 9th circuit in CA to hear Case on Arpaio's corrupt breakfast meetings and Surprise

Mr Huminski,

Here is an email from your arch nemesis, Mr. Nelson, indicating that he has never met Sheriff Joe Arpaio nor has had any dealings with him or anyone from this office.

The entire email string regarding any breakfast between Nelson and Sheriff Arpaio was a total fabrication. Mr Nelson is not involved in the Sheriff’s campaign. All of the references regarding Sheriff’s Arpaio’s connections to him are fabrications.

Hence we insist you stop harassing us with these emails immediately. Remove anyone with the email address of @mcso.maricopa.gov from your email string. We do not have any interest in your battle with Mr. Nelson. If you do not remove us from these harassing emails, we will pursue a legal remedy.

[TwinX]

01:43 PM on 03/29/2012

I don't get what these mean. Who are Huminski and Nelson?

[DavidNichols]

09:23 AM on 03/22/2012

Arpaio has been under Federal Investigation for three years, he has been labeled the worst Racist in known history, and is still under investigation.

Arpaio is just trying to distract from the Real Scandal, Himself!

"Pink Pantie Gate."

[Anarcho-Capitalist]

11:29 AM on 03/28/2012

Really? The worst racist known in history? My guesses would be more like, um I don't know Hitler, Slobodan Milosevic, Ahmad Harun, Omar al-Bashir, Oliver Cromwell. Arpaio may be unsavory but he hasn't tried to wipe out an entire race of people. If I were you I would do some research on genocide.