Liddy again falsely claimed Obama does not “have a birth certificate to show that he was born in Hawaii”

On his radio show, G. Gordon Liddy again falsely claimed that Sen. Barack Obama does not “have a birth certificate to show that he was born in Hawaii.” In fact, the Obama campaign has released Obama's birth certificate and reportedly provided the original to FactCheck.org, whose staff said that they “have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate” indicating that Obama was born in the United States.

On the September 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, G. Gordon Liddy falsely claimed of Sen. Barack Obama: "[T]here's others who say he was born, you know, in Kenya. And I don't have a birth certificate from Kenya to show that he was, but neither does he have a birth certificate to show that he was born in Hawaii, either." In fact, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, in addition to posting a copy of Obama's birth certificate on the campaign website, the Obama campaign reportedly provided the original to FactCheck.org, whose staff said in an August 21 article that they “have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate,” and concluded that the document does, in fact, exist, and that it “meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.” Further, even right-wing website WorldNetDaily.com reported in an August 23 article that a “WND investigation into Obama's birth certificate utilizing forgery experts also found the document to be authentic.”

As Media Matters has noted, on the August 26 broadcast of his show, Liddy also falsely asserted: "[W]e still don't have a birth certificate for Obama. There are claims that he was actually born in Kenya."

From the September 15 broadcast of Radio America's The G. Gordon Liddy Show:

CALLER: Good morning.

LIDDY: Good morning, Greg.

CALLER: I understand you've spent some time in Arizona. Whereabouts do you -- did you --

LIDDY: I have a home on the Gainey Ranch.

CALLER: I'll be darned. I'll be darned. A beautiful place. We've moved here about eight months ago and we absolutely love it.

LIDDY: It is gorgeous. I love it, too, and I'm out there whenever I can.

CALLER: Yep. Anyway, tell you why I was calling. Earlier, in the late part of the last hour, you said something about Barack Obama -- he couldn't prove where he was born, and neither can we. That was your comment, and I thought that was monumental, in the sense that I got a passport for the first time five years ago, and I had to go through a whole week to -- 'cause I had lost it, and I had to get another one. And then, finally, I got it with the embossed seal, and sent it off, so it cost me about $45. Sent it off, and got it back returned, along with my passport. But it was a lengthy procedure --

LIDDY: Yes. Hmm-mm.

CALLER: -- and it seems like the -- perhaps one of the top two or three things that a candidate would have to do would -- if there's any doubt at all -- is prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

LIDDY: Well, if somebody raises it. I don't know why it hasn't been, you know, seriously raised. I think there is a lawsuit that has been filed, but I don't know what -- you know, what progress it has or has not made, but the only thing that they've offered is -- and Obama hasn't offered it -- the Daily Kos, that left-wing blog, offered a Photoshopped -- a much-Photoshopped -- copy of a certificate of live birth, which is not something -- it's not a birth certificate. It simply states that so-and-so was born alive here in Hawaii. But the serial number on it is redacted, blanked out. And that's because some people have suggested that it was actually the Photoshopped version --

CALLER: Right.

LIDDY: -- of the one from his half-sister, or something of that sort. And then there's others who say he was born, you know, in Kenya. And I don't have a birth certificate from Kenya to show that he was, but neither does he have a birth certificate to show that he was born in Hawaii, either.

CALLER: Well, why -- then all -- shouldn't everything stop at this point until he provides -- isn't the -- I guess the question is, to distill it down, isn't the burden of proof squarely on his shoulders? Or --

LIDDY: It is if it's challenged. And I -- I've heard that there was a lawsuit filed, but I don't know, you know, what has become of it.

CALLER: And last question, could this possibly be what we hear about in terms of an October surprise, and if it were the case, isn't it a possibility that Hillary would know that this is the case, and she would obviously step right in at that point at the train wreck that would occur? It would be a messy thing, but she would be the logical one if you take this thing to its conclusion.

LIDDY: Well, I think if she had that information and she had that proof, she would have used it by now, because the -- you know -- she would want a period of time for the dust to settle, and for her to campaign, and she hasn't done that. So, I would say while it's a possibility, it's not a probability.

CALLER: But it seems like this issue, even if he were to be elected president, and even if he weren't, it was -- continued to be a senator, it doesn't seem like this thing will ever, or should ever go away, until it's resolved one way or the other.

LIDDY: Well, you're right. I mean, it should be being resolved now.

CALLER: Right.

LIDDY: I mean, if there is a formal challenge in court, then that's certainly the way to proceed. And it would be in the United States courts, and we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

CALLER: OK. Thank you very much.

LIDDY: You're welcome, sir. All right, let's go to Wyoming and Cathy.

Nathan Tabak is an intern at Media Matters for America