Michigan state Sen. Tom Casperson, a Republican who represents the state’s 38th District, went on a Lansing, Mich. radio program on Tuesday and was asked right of the bat whether he believes President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. His response?
“Don’t know,” Casperson said.
Ah, yes. Another politician embarks on a journey into the birther swamp.
“I don’t know because it seems like that issue was dropped immediately as far as the major media went,” Casperson told host Michael Patrick Shiels. “My gut tells me if it had been a different president, like say George W. Bush, they’d have been digging into that like there was no tomorrow, trying to get to the bottom of, which they never really did try to get to the bottom of. So it became a conspiracy theory and no big deal.”
Shiels asked Casperson if he found it “weird” that the country now had a commander in chief entering a second term who “may not even be technically, legally qualified to be president?”
“I think it’s strange, again, that it’s not being looked at by certain groups that normally would,” Casperson said.
Audio of Casperson’s remarks was posted online by Progress Michigan, a progressive group. Listen here:
Casperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TPM.
(h/t New York magazine, Deadline Detroit)
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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