Chuck DeVore

GOP Senate Candidate DeVore Seeks To Defuse Birtherism Story

Eric Kleefeld | November 16, 2009, 2:45PM

CA-SEN candidate Chuck DeVore (R)

Chuck DeVore, a California state Assemblyman running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California, is working to defuse comments that seemingly made him out to be a birther-sympathizer.

"The president is doing himself no favors by spending millions of dollars to block the release of documents surrounding his birth certificate," DeVore said to Dave Weigel. "As long as the president keeps fighting tooth and nail to prevent the release of such things, people are going to remain skeptical."

In an interview just now, DeVore's communications director Josh Trevino told TPM that key statements the candidate made were omitted from the published report. "Assemblyman DeVore believes that Barack Obama is the rightful, legitimate and constitutional President of the United States," said Trevino. "He said 10 years ago that the move to impeach Bill Clinton was a distraction from countering his liberal policies, and he believes that the movement now to question Barack Obama's birth is a similar distraction."

Weigel has responded to inquiries about this by posting a full transcription of DeVore's answer to his question -- and maintains that DeVore did not fully repudiate the birthers: "I was a little surprised that DeVore didn't knock this down harder; it seems to be stinging him today."

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Nathan Deal

GOP Rep. Deal, Candidate For Georgia Governor, Asking For Obama's Birth Certificate

Eric Kleefeld | November 5, 2009, 11:09AM

Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA)

Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), a candidate in the GOP primary for Governor of Georgia, has announced that he is signing a letter to the White House with several of his colleagues -- asking for a copy of President Obama's birth certificate.

Deal made the announcement this morning in an online chat held by his campaign, when asked by Tom Crawford of the Georgia Report (subscription required):

[Comment From Tom Crawford]
Do you believe that Barack Obama is a native-born American citizen who is eligible to serve as president? I am asking because your comments on this issue have been a little ambiguous. I would appreciate your clearing this up.

Nathan Deal - I am joining several of my colleagues in the House in writing a letter to the President asking that he release a copy of his birth certificate so we can have an answer to this question.

Deal's campaign spokesman Harris Blackwood confirmed the authenticity of the chat to TPM, explaining the Congressman's comment: "There have been so many constituents, a lot of people have asked him, they ask him on the campaign trail. Let's just get an answer, that's all we're saying, not suggesting anything to the contrary."