Obama Posts Long-Form Birth Certificate Online Following Questions by Donald Trump
Taking steps to put an end to a simmering constitutional controversy, President Obama has posted his long-form birth certificate online showing he was born in Honolulu.
The move follows high-profile questions about Obama’s qualifications by possible GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. The White House posted the birth certificate (PDF) at its website along with an explanation, according to the New York Times Caucus blog and CNN.
“The president believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country. It may have been good politics and good TV, but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country,” communications director Dan Pfeiffer wrote on the website. “This is not and should not be an open question.”
Obama’s legal counsel had to research the legal authority for seeking access to the long-form certificate before requesting that the state of Hawaii make an exception and release the document, the White House website says. The state granted the request in part because it was getting so many requests for the longer form.
Perkins Coie partner Judith Corley was the lawyer who obtained the birth certificate, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Corley handles personal legal matters for the president.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “SCOTUS Nixes Effort By ‘Birther’ Attorney Orly Taitz to Avoid $20K Fine”
ABAJournal.com: “Meet Orly Taitz: Lawyer, Dentist and Birther in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Crusade”
Updated at 10:20 a.m. to include information on the lawyer who obtained the birth certificate for the president.
