PHOENIX -- Secretary of State Ken Bennett has waded into the controversy over the president's birthplace again.
But not in the way some have charged.
"I actually think he was born in Hawaii,'' Bennett told a group of Republicans last week, explaining his efforts to verify that state does, in fact, have a birth certificate on file for Obama. Bennett said he felt that his role as the state's chief elections officer entitled him to make such a query.
But Bennett said that does not mean the public is getting the whole story.
"I actually think he was fibbing about being born in Kenya when he was trying to get into college and doing things like writing a book, and on and on,'' Bennett told his audience. "So if there was weird stuff going on, I actually think it was happening back in his college days.''
The comments came as Bennett was trying to round up support for Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney. Bennett chairs Romney's Arizona campaign efforts.
Asked about the comments, which were videotaped by an audience member, Bennett said he was only speculating. And he said his remarks indicate that, noting that he used the word "if'' a couple of times when talking about the "fibbing'' and why he believes the president when he says now he was born in Hawaii.
"If there was weird stuff going on, I actually think it was happening back in his college days,'' Bennett told his audience. But he did not include such conditional speculation on everything he said.
"I think he has spent $1.5 or $2 million through attorneys to have all the college records and all that stuff sealed,'' Bennett continued. "So if you're spending money to seal something, that's probably where the hanky-panky was going on.''
"But I have no knowledge,'' Bennett said later to Capitol Media Services.
"I don't believe that,'' he said. "I tried to phrase is as an 'if.' ''
That, however, still leaves the flat-out statement about the money Obama has spent to have his records sealed.
"That's part of the speculation that I hear,'' Bennett said. Pressed for how he came up with those specific numbers, he responded, "I don't know where I heard that.''
The closest thing to Bennett's comments stem from an effort by a literary agent for Obama in 1991 to promote the Harvard law school graduate as a writer, listing him as "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii.'' An assistant who worked at the agency at the time has since called it "a fact-checking error by me.''
Obama never wrote a book at that time.
Some web sites also say that Kenyan birth was mentioned in promoting the book Obama did write later, "Dreams from My Father.''
Bennett, speaking without notes, wandered into the whole issue of Obama's birthplace during his talk when he said voters should "send him back home, wherever home is.''
He previously found himself in the center of a controversy earlier this year when, responding to what he said were "thousands of e-mails and calls'' after claims by a volunteer posse member from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department'' that there was reason to believe the copy of the birth certificate the White House had posted on its web site was not genuine.
His request resulted in some criticism, largely from Democrats, who questioned how he could be Romney's campaign chairman and yet seeking out birth records of his candidate's November foe. And Bennett conceded there is no specific statutory authority for him to verify candidate birth records, just a general requirement for him to safeguard "the integrity of the ballot.''
But Bennett did himself no favors with those who are convinced that Obama really was born in Kenya or elsewhere, as they blasted him for failing to demand to see the president's actual birth certificate and instead agreed to take the word of Hawaii authorities.
Bennett told his GOP audience that they should get beyond the whole question.
"We are not going to win this election based on whether he was born in Hawaii or not,'' he said. "We are going to win this election because our country has to change directions or we are quickly headed to a point where we will not be able to recover.''
SCWBob posted at 9:01 pm on Tue, Jun 26, 2012.
I keep reading about President Obama and the illegals. I seem to remember that President Reagan let in over 1 million illegals. If you supported Reagan, you need to shut your pie trap.
SCWBob posted at 9:37 pm on Sat, Jun 23, 2012.
I find it very hard to believe that Mr. Bennett is really trying to find the truth. If he wants to show all of us in the state of AZ that he wants to get the truth out there he should roll the clock back about 5 years when he son was involved in sexually assaulting young boys in Prescott. Mr. Bennett used his power to get a very very reduced sentence for his son. Mr. Bennett only want some truth not ALL truth.
seekingjustice2 posted at 1:41 pm on Sat, Jun 23, 2012.
So, basically what Bennett is saying when he says" he does not know where he heard that" and "if" means is he spreading gossip with no factual basis. No wonder Arizona is the laughing stock of the country. They have no real leadership that shows any intelligence on any issue. They just like to move molecules around and incite people to act on speculations without foundations. Thank God they have a few brave people that are willing to expose the truth with facts like, "If There Were Any Victims". Maybe the country should send our citizens to Hawii at the expense of the taxpayers to see if Sherif Aprio is really turning eighty, maybe he is one of the "undead" and been around for centuries Govenor Jan is one of his twice bitten.
seekingjustice2 posted at 1:22 pm on Sat, Jun 23, 2012.
I am curious ForAmerica, did you read his book or can you read? You think that where you were born makes you capable of being a great leader, gosh what would that have made George Washington or his predecessors. How juvenille all of you bigots are. So what if his father was not a citizen at the time of his birth, big deal. Children born outside of marriage were once, not too long ago, not allowed to be a part of society. Your narrow mindness and idiocy about as much sense. Grow up! Sheriff Joe is so obsessed with his birth certificate he ignors victims (children) of child abuse. If you like to read there's a book that is backed up with facts.
willowguy posted at 8:59 am on Fri, Jun 22, 2012.
Bennett got his *** caught in a wringer earlier with the Hawaii birth certificate issue, and now steps in it again. He wouldn't be any better than Jan as the CEO of AZ. He should just keep his mouth shut. One goof can be forgiven, but he's now over the limit.
forAmerica posted at 9:25 am on Thu, Jun 21, 2012.
Ken Bennett is digging into the birth certificate issue for a reason. Apparently it is because he does not feel the birthcertificate made public is a fake. Our congress should be ousting Obama for all the illegal laws, etc. that he is papssing with Congress approval.
forAmerica posted at 9:22 am on Thu, Jun 21, 2012.
Illegal immigrants are illegal immigrants. They should not be granted amnesty. Can we go to their country and get all the benefits that President Obama is granting them here? NO We would be arrested and probably remain in jail for months before we could get out of the country if we ever could. NO AMNESTY for illegals.
forAmerica posted at 9:19 am on Thu, Jun 21, 2012.
Whether Obama was born in Hawaii or Kenya is an issue. He in his own book said he was born in Kenya. The Hawaiian officials apparently have been paid off big money to hide this. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this big controversy about his birth. We know his father was not an American citizen. Hello!!! Does that tell you anything? This is outright treason and should be severly punishable. Wake up America! If Obama pays big money to have college transcripts closed then he is trying to hide that he is a communist. He is a LIAR! IMPEACH Obama before elections otherwise we , the American people, give him a lifetime pension for destroying our country.