Jan Brewer

Brewer Has History Of Getting Facts Wrong

Nick R. Martin | January 30, 2012, 5:40AM

Back in 2010 as she defended her state's harsh immigration law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) told a newspaper reporter that she was deeply hurt by the terrible names people were calling her. The worst, she said, were the comparisons to the Nazis.

"They are awful," she said. "Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that...and then to have them call me Hitler's daughter. It hurts. It's ugliness beyond anything I've ever experienced."

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Jan Brewer

2nd Mayor Says Obama 'Wasn't Tense At All' During Brewer Encounter

Nick R. Martin | January 27, 2012, 11:32AM

Out of the three officials who met President Obama on an airport tarmac near Phoenix earlier this week, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) is now the only one who has characterized the president as anything other than cordial.

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Jan Brewer

Mayor Seems To Contradict Gov. Brewer's Story On Obama Run-In

Nick R. Martin | January 26, 2012, 5:23PM

President Obama didn't exactly walk away from Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) during their disagreement on Wednesday on an airport tarmac near Phoenix, said one of the only people to witness the exchange up close. The president simply began talking to the other two elected officials who were there to greet him.

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Jan Brewer

Obama's Tarmac Tiff Was With Foe Partly Of His Own Making

Nick R. Martin | January 26, 2012, 1:41PM

We may never know exactly what President Obama said to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) during his trip to the state on Wednesday, but it's clear things didn't go well.

What was supposed to be a trip focusing on jobs and innovation a day after the State of the Union instead became a story about finger pointing and who said what to whom during a brief exchange on an airport tarmac.

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Mike O'Neal

Kansas GOPer: I Didn't Mean Obama Should Die When I E-Mailed 'Let His Days Be Few And Brief'

Jillian Rayfield | January 20, 2012, 11:27AM

Kansas House Speaker Mike O'Neal

The Kansas Speaker of the House has apologized for an e-mail in which he prayed about President Obama, "let his days be few and brief," but insisted that he wasn't calling for him to die.

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Zeituni Onyango

Three Years Later, ICE Still Probing Who Leaked Immigration Status Of President Obama's Aunt

Ryan J. Reilly | January 13, 2012, 3:30PM

Three years, two months and a week -- more than 1100 days -- after the 2008 presidential election, internal investigators at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are still probing who leaked the immigration status of then-Sen. Barack Obama's aunt Zeituni Onyango just three days before voters went to the polls.

Relevant files from ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility are "part of an ongoing investigation" and will not be disclosed, an ICE official wrote in a Jan. 11 response to TPM's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents related to the investigation.

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National Defense Authorization Act

Obama Administration Pushes Back On Liberal Criticism Over NDAA's 'Indefinite Detention'

Ryan J. Reilly | January 6, 2012, 9:30AM

President Barack Obama and Senior Adviser David Axelrod

The Obama administration thinks many in the liberal blogosphere are mistaken in their belief that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed by the president on New Year's Eve authorizes the indefinite detention of citizens captured on U.S. soil.

Many progressive and libertarians have argued that the NDAA codifies the president's ability to detain a U.S. citizen captured on American soil until the war on terrorism is declared over. The administration believes that the NDAA doesn't specifically allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens, but concedes that it doesn't specifically ban the practice either.

A senior administration official maintained in an interview with TPM that the NDAA "changes nothing" about the legal question of whether the government could allow for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens captured in the United States.

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FBI

Obama To Basically Ignore Congress' Terrorists-In-Military-Custody Mandate

Ryan J. Reilly | January 5, 2012, 5:44AM

Federal law enforcement officials had been worried about the "uncertainty" that a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would create for agents dealing with a terrorist attack because of the plethora of qualifiers that would send a terrorist suspect into military custody. But the signing statement issued by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve appears to indicate that it should be business as usual as the administration develops implementation rules for the new provisions over the next 60 days.

Officials like FBI Director Robert Mueller had worried that Section 1022 of the NDAA "lacks clarity" about how law enforcement officials should handle a suspected terrorist at the time of arrest. That section required individuals who weren't citizens or lawful U.S. residents who have had ties to al-Qaeda, the Taliban or "associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners" to be placed into the military system -- facts that could be difficult to determine right off the bat ("They don't wear al-Qaeda hats," one law enforcement official official told TPM.)

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Fox News

Obama Called 'Skinny, Ghetto Crackhead' On Fox News

Jillian Rayfield | December 23, 2011, 9:40AM

A Fox News guest on Thursday said that "you might want to say" President Obama looks like "a skinny, ghetto crackhead."

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National Defense Authorization Act

Holder: Obama Will Issue Signing Statement With NDAA Detention Rules

Ryan J. Reilly | December 21, 2011, 4:02PM

Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed speculation Wednesday that President Barack Obama would issue a signing statement when he makes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and its controversial detention provisions law.

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Robert Mueller

Obama Enrages Civil Liberties Groups By Dropping Detainee Veto Threat

Ryan J. Reilly | December 14, 2011, 6:03PM

President Barack Obama

Despite concerns from the law enforcement community that provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that direct terrorism suspects into the military system could hamper national security, the White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama would not veto the legislation.

Claiming credit for last minute changes to the legislation, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in statement that the administration had "succeeded in prompting the authors of the detainee provisions to make several important changes, including the removal of problematic provisions" after "intensive engagement" by administration officials and Obama himself.

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Congress

Mueller: Congress' Terror Detainee Deal Would Create 'Uncertainty' During Arrests

Ryan J. Reilly | December 14, 2011, 12:15PM

As of Tuesday, the federal government wasn't quite ready to render a verdict on the compromise reached by members of Congress on a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act which guides terrorist suspects into the military justice system. But FBI Director Robert Mueller indicated Wednesday that the administration still has concerns, though it's still unclear if the White House will make good on a previous veto threat.

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Eric Holder

Obama Administration Backs Bill Combating Voter Intimidation, Deception

Ryan J. Reilly | December 13, 2011, 6:05PM

United States Attorney General Eric Holder

The Obama administration is signaling support for a forthcoming Senate bill that would impose tough criminal and civil penalties on individuals who make and distribute campaign literature with false information intended to deceive voters and suppress turnout.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce in a major speech on voting rights in Texas on Tuesday night that Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) will introduce the bill on Wednesday. The bill will be "narrowly tailored" to respect provisions of the First Amendment, according to Cardin's office. It will apply to "only a small category of false communications that occur during the last 90 days before an election, such as literature listing the wrong date or time for the election, giving inaccurate information about voter eligibility, or promoting false endorsements of candidates." A nearly identical bill was introduced by Schumer and then-Sen. Barack Obama back in 2007 but never passed.

In his speech at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library And Museum in Austin, Holder will call for election systems "that are free from fraud, discrimination, and partisan influence" and will say that protecting the right to vote and combating discrimination "must be viewed, not only as a legal issue - but as a moral imperative." Holder's speech also offers a challenge:

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Tea Party

Tea Party Group Calls 'Half Black, Half White' Obama A Skunk

David Taintor | December 12, 2011, 3:17PM

A Kansas tea party group is saying "pee-eww" to President Obama.

Patriot Freedom Alliance, a tea party group in Hutchinson, Kansas, made a statement on its website recently, depicting Obama as a skunk.

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Barack Obama

Gun Ad Compares Obama To Hitler, Stalin And Other Dictators

Jillian Rayfield | December 5, 2011, 8:47AM

The USA Ammo company is warning potential customers that "tyranny and gun control is only an election away," in an ad that uses pictures of President Obama, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and others to illustrate the "Faces of Gun Control."

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Barack Obama

White House Still Threatening Veto Over Terrorists In Military Custody Mandate

Ryan J. Reilly | December 2, 2011, 12:00PM

Administration officials are continuing to express concern that section 1032 of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate Thursday night will present big problems for counterterrorism officials in their efforts to stop future attacks. The Senate killed an amendment that would have explicitly said U.S. citizens can't be held in custody indefinitely but passed language that said the law on the mater hasn't changed.

The White House confirmed to TPM on Friday morning that their veto threat still stands. They believe that the "unnecessary, untested, and legally controversial" restrictions that would mandate certain terrorist suspects go into military custody would "disrupt the Executive branch's ability to enforce the law and impose unwise and unwarranted restrictions on the U.S. Government's ability to aggressively combat international terrorism."

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Oscar Ortega Hernandez

Alleged White House Shooter Ortega-Hernandez To Oprah: 'I Am The Modern Day Jesus Christ'

Ryan J. Reilly | November 18, 2011, 11:22AM

Alleged White House shooter Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez made a 20-minute video intended for Oprah Winfrey in which he claimed he was the second coming of Jesus Christ.

"You see Oprah, there is still so much more that God needs for me to express to the world. It's not just a coincidence that I look like Jesus. I am the modern day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for," Ortega-Hernandez says in a video obtained by Idaho's KBOI news.

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Barack Obama

Christmas Tree Farmers Upset Obama Delayed 'Tax' Proposal Over 'Internet Rumor'

Ryan J. Reilly | November 17, 2011, 5:40PM

Bending to a flash-in-the-pan controversy over a misunderstood 15-cent fee on Christmas tree sales that would allow farmers to run ads promoting natural trees, the Obama administration formally delayed a proposal for a so-called "Christmas tree tax."

The proposal was stayed indefinitely in a notice published in the Federal Register on Thursday.

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Barack Obama

Obama Threatens Veto Of Defense Bill Over Military Custody For Terror Suspects Mandate

Ryan J. Reilly | November 17, 2011, 1:38PM

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama is threatening to veto the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 over "unnecessary, untested, and legally controversial" restrictions imposed by Congress which would mandate certain terrorism suspects go into military custody.

"The Administration objects to and has serious legal and policy concerns about many of the detainee provisions in the bill," the White House said in a statement. "In their current form, some of these provisions disrupt the Executive branch's ability to enforce the law and impose unwise and unwarranted restrictions on the U.S. Government's ability to aggressively combat international terrorism; other provisions inject legal uncertainty and ambiguity that may only complicate the military's operations and detention practices."

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White House

Secret Service Searched Occupy D.C. Camp For Person Who Shot At White House

Ryan J. Reilly | November 16, 2011, 6:00AM

Late update, Nov. 16, 2:11PM: The Secret Service announced the suspect was taken into custody in Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service searched Occupy D.C. on Monday for a man suspected of firing bullets at the White House on Friday, one of which was stopped by the building's ballistic glass.

Protestor Ralph Wittenberg told TPM on Tuesday evening that authorities came through "searching for a so-called terrorist who shot at the White House, with no warrant, they went into everybody's tents."

A person handling media requests for Occupy DC confirmed the searches and said they were led by the Secret Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Barack Obama

Tree Farmers Blast 'Sinister' 'Smear' Of 'Obama's Christmas Tree Tax'

Ryan J. Reilly | November 9, 2011, 1:35PM

No, America, President Obama didn't impose a 15-cent tax on Christmas trees because he "Hates Christians," or because he's keen to launch another front in the War on Christmas. Christmas tree growers had the plan all along.

Remember those "Got Milk?" and "Beef, It's What's For Dinner" ads? Well, Christmas tree farmers and retailers thought those are pretty nifty. Plus, with more and more people buying artificial trees instead of the natural ones, they wanted to protect their brand. So three years ago -- before Obama took office -- a group of them started studying the pluses and minuses of starting a so-called "checkoff promotion and research program" of their very own.

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Republicans

VA GOP Condemns Picture of Obama As Zombie Shot In The Head

Jillian Rayfield | November 1, 2011, 10:33AM

The Virginia Republican Party has condemned an e-mail sent out by the Loudon County Republican Committee picturing a zombie version of President Obama with a gunshot in his head.

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Welfare

Bizarre Anti-Welfare Board Game Re-Released With 'Obozo The Marxist Clown'

Jillian Rayfield | October 27, 2011, 5:55AM

There is no "Go" space in the anti-welfare board game "Obozo's America," but rest assured -- you can still collect welfare benefits as you pass the "First Of The Month" space.

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National Organization for Marriage

Anti-Gay Marriage Group Pretends Obama Rally Is Anti-Gay Marriage Protest

Jillian Rayfield | October 25, 2011, 2:01PM

The anti-gay group National Organization for Marriage was caught trying to pass off a picture of a rally for President Obama as that of an anti-gay marriage rally.

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Darren Huff

The Strange Case Of The Birther OathKeeper -- Who Tried To Take Over A Courthouse -- Heads To Trial

Jillian Rayfield | October 18, 2011, 5:05AM

On Tuesday, Georgia OathKeeper Darren Huff will begin his trial for an alleged attempt to take over a Tennessee courthouse and conduct citizens arrests on local judges and officers.

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Fox News

Fox & Friends: We Should Have Clarified That Our Report On Obama Apologizing To Japan Was False

Jillian Rayfield | October 14, 2011, 2:45PM

Which is harder to believe -- that Fox News got something wrong or that they apologized for it?

Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy made a statement on the show on Friday to clarify that the show's earlier report that President Obama had planned to apologize to Japan for Hiroshima was, in fact, not true.

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Barack Obama

Wikileaks: Japan To Obama: Don't Apologize For Hiroshima

Brian Fung | October 13, 2011, 5:00AM

The Japanese government urged the Obama administration in 2009 not to apologize for the American nuclear attack on Hiroshima during World War II, according to a secret diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks last month.

Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka told American diplomats ahead of a presidential trip to Japan that an American apology would be a "non-starter" and that a simple visit to Hiroshima -- "without fanfare" -- would be sufficiently symbolic.

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Barack Obama

What The Justice Department Can Actually Do About Voter ID Laws

Ryan J. Reilly | October 5, 2011, 5:45AM

President Barack Obama last week told a radio audience that he's made sure the Justice Department is reviewing restrictive voting laws passed across the country. But as a practical matter, DOJ's reach is limited.

Sure, federal officials with DOJ's Civil Rights Division are reviewing voter ID laws passed in South Carolina and Texas because both states have a history of discrimination and are covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. DOJ told South Carolina in August that they need more info before making a decision and in September told Texas they have more questions.

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Voter Identification

Voter ID Under Fire At Progressive Conference; Obama Calls Restrictions A 'Big Mistake'

Ryan J. Reilly | October 4, 2011, 10:45AM

A few dozen progressives sat in a room in the Washington Hilton on Monday during the Take Back the American Dream Conference discussing how restrictive voter ID laws would affect the 2012 election.

"The groups of voters that are going to be most impacted, what do you all think?" asked moderator Megan Donovan. "Who does this affect primarily?"

"College students!" someone said. "Minority groups!" said another. "Elderly voters!" chimed in one person. "Disabled voters!" said one woman.

"Democrats!" came a voice from the back of the room. The audience burst into laughter.

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Orly Taitz

'Birther' Orly Taitz Mulling Senate Run Because She Speaks Spanish And Hebrew

Ryan J. Reilly | September 19, 2011, 12:32PM

Orly Taitz

So-called "birther queen" Orly Taitz is considering running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat in 2012.

"I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew," Taitz told the Sacramento Bee following a town hall event on Latino issues at the California Republican Party convention.

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Joe Arpaio

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Assigns 'Cold Case Posse' To Investigate Obama's Birth Certificate

Jillian Rayfield | September 19, 2011, 10:15AM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Hey, remember the birthers?

Infamous Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio does -- which is why he announced a five-person "Cold Case Posse" that will delve into the issue of President Obama's birth certificate.

The posse follows a request by the Surprise, Arizona Tea Party, who Arpaio met with on August 17. The Surprise Tea Party believes that the long-form birth certificate released by President Obama in April -- which put the issue to rest for pretty much everyone -- could be a forgery.

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Steve King

Steve King Says Obama's 'Drunken Uncle Omar' Should Be Called Before Congress (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | September 13, 2011, 11:56AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) wants to bring President Obama's uncle, Onyango Obama, before Congress to testify on whether he received preferential treatment after he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

"We have to bring drunken 'Uncle Omar' in front of the House Judiciary Committee, drill down into this, and tell America what's going on," King told Fox News, referring to Obama's uncle, who is in the country illegally.

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Bradlee Dean

Controversial Anti-Gay Preacher Writes Letter To Obama, For Some Reason

David Taintor | September 12, 2011, 9:38AM

Bradlee Dean

Bradlee Dean isn't just Minnesota's favorite anti-gay preacher -- he's also a concerned citizen. He's worried about the future of America, and so, he's decided to write President Obama a letter. And he apparently thinks the president might be interested in what he has to say.

In the rambling, three-page letter, Dean writes about his troubled past, his insecurities and the eventual path to his current faith. He writes about a "radical homosexual agenda" backed by the government. And while Dean didn't vote for Obama, he writes that he "rejoiced in heart" at Obama's election. But Dean's not impressed by the president's first term.

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Lamar Smith

Lamar Smith: Obama's 'Backdoor Amnesty' Benefits 'Drunk-Driving Illegal Immigrants Like His Uncle'

Ryan J. Reilly | September 9, 2011, 2:20PM

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)

Updated: September 9, 2011, 3:45PM

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is accusing President Barack Obama of a "double standard" because his uncle, an illegal immigrant, was released from prison after he was arrested from driving under the influence.

Obama's uncle Onyango Obama was arrested in Massachusetts last month, charged with failing to yield, operating a motor vehicle to endanger and a DUI.

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ACORN

Obama Campaign's 'Project Vote' Name Choice Could Fuel Voter Fraud Charges

Ryan J. Reilly | August 25, 2011, 2:32PM

If part of the Obama campaign's strategy is to feed conservative conspiracy theories that Democrats will steal the 2012 election through voter fraud, the name they gave their new get-out-the-vote project is perfect. Otherwise, not so much.

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Daryn J. Moran

Airman Goes AWOL In Germany Because Internet Says Obama's Birth Certificate Is Fake (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | August 17, 2011, 11:40AM

[Update: The Air Force says Moran isn't AWOL after all, but rather on approved leave status as he awaits discharge.]

An Air Force staff sergeant based in Germany says he's been AWOL since last week because he read on the Internet that President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate is a fraud.

Inspired by fellow birther, Army doctor Terrence Lakin, Staff Sgt. Daryn J. Moran has plastered the Internet with the news that he's deserting his post as an ophthalmology technician overseas.

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Osama bin Laden

Peter King Calls For Pentagon And CIA To Investigate White House Connection To Bin Laden Movie

Jillian Rayfield | August 10, 2011, 6:01PM

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) has written a letter to the Defense Department and the CIA requesting that they investigate whether the White House leaked classified information to Hurt Locker filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow about the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

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John Boehner

Boehner Legal Team: It Doesn't Matter If Science Says Being Gay Isn't A Choice

Ryan J. Reilly | August 3, 2011, 2:30PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and former United States Solicitor General Paul Clement

Remember a few months ago how John Boehner decided to step in to keep the Defense of Marriage Act in place after the Justice Department decided it was discriminatory? Well the legal team Boehner hired to defend the law has a few interesting things to say about gays and lesbians.

A briefing submitted on Monday by Paul Clement on behalf of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives notes that "gays and lesbians have achieved and continue to achieve substantial political success." In sum, he argues that there hasn't been enough of a history of discrimination against gays and lesbians because most were in the closet throughout so much of history.

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Barack Obama

Political Action Committee To Defeat Barack Obama As Soon As They Spell His Name Correctly

Ryan J. Reilly | August 2, 2011, 2:32PM

A newly formed political action committee aimed at defeating President Barack Obama took in $9,780.00 in just a few months. And they didn't even have to spell his name correctly to do it.

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Chamber of Commerce

U.S. Chamber To Rank Politicians On Whether They Vote To Keep Contractor Donations Secret

Ryan J. Reilly | July 28, 2011, 5:41PM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has written a letter to members of the House telling them that voting for federal contractors to be more transparent about their political spending will negatively impact their legislative scorecard.

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