'Citizen Grand Jury' Organizers Deliver Accusations
Bob Unruh - WND
July 2, 2009
Documents assembled by volunteer "citizen grand jury" members alleging Barack Obama is ineligible to serve as president have been delivered to the White House, the FBI, members of Congress and the court system in Washington, D.C.
Carl Swensson, a spokesman for the American Grand Jury movement and author of his own RiseUpForAmerica website, said he's now calling on Americans to reach out to those powers, demanding to know what action is being taken.
"Any way you can get in touch with them," he told WND today, via calls, e-mail and faxes.
The papers, called "presentments," were compiled by a "super grand jury" of 172 people who contend Obama may not meet the U.S. Constitution's requirement that a president be a "natural born" citizen.
Such volunteer citizen grand juries already have been active on the local level, presenting their accusations against Obama to courts, sheriffs, prosecutors, judges and legislators across the nation, without success so far.
The participants explain they are within their constitutional rights to assemble, review evidence and deliver accusations. The actual documents are not widely published, because they adhere to the grand jury rule of secrecy.
"Sooner or later some court or many courts will formally indict Obama from our presentments or [a] complaint," said one organizer.
Swensson told WND that he and other volunteers armed with copies of the citizen grand jury's report accusing the president of fraud and treason arrived in Washington in time for this week's planned meetings at the White House, the FBI, Congress and other locations.
At the White House, his team was greeted by no fewer than nine members of the Secret Service with the immediate question, "Are you kooks?"
Assured the visitors were not, agents listened for more than three hours as Swensson and others explained the purpose of their visit, and ultimately, the Secret Service signed for acceptance of the papers, Swensson said.
The only scheduled delivery that was unsuccessful was at the Department of Justice, run by Obama appointee Eric Holder. But the department is fully aware of the accusations through the numerous lawsuits that have brought challenges to Obama's tenure.
Swensson said now is the time for citizens to become involved and approach government officials, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, through whatever means they have to demand action.
The paperwork also was delivered to the U.S. Supreme Court, organizers said.
Among members of Congress to be given the documentation were U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn.; Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a "natural born citizen." The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."
Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time.
Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born.
Complicating the situation is Obama's decision to spend sums estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid releasing a state birth certificate and other documentation that would put to rest all of the questions.
The "Certification of Live Birth" posted online and widely touted as "Obama's birth certificate" does not in any way prove he was born in Hawaii, since the same "short-form" document is easily obtainable for children not born in Hawaii. The true "long-form" birth certificate – which includes information such as the name of the birth hospital and attending physician – is the only document that can prove Obama was born in Hawaii, but to date he has not permitted its release for public or press scrutiny.
Oddly, though congressional hearings were held to determine whether Sen. John McCain was constitutionally eligible to be president as a "natural born citizen," no controlling legal authority ever sought to verify Obama's claim to a Hawaiian birth.
The question over Obama's eligibility now also is being raised on billboards nationwide.
 "Where's The Birth Certificate?" billboard in Pennsylvania |
The billboard campaign follows an ongoing petition campaign launched several months ago by WND Editor and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Farah.
The billboards are intended to raise public awareness of the fact that Obama has never released the standard "long-form" birth certificate that would show which hospital he was born in, the attending physician and establish that he truly was born in Hawaii, as his autobiography maintains.
WND previously reported that among the citizen grand jury accusations is: "It is public knowledge that Obama has admitted in his writings and otherwise that when he was born, his father was a British citizen/subject and not a United States citizen and that at that time he himself also became such. In fact, his father was not even a permanent resident of the United States, but rather only a student who would probably have been here only on a temporary student visa. Hence, not only was Obama's father not a United States citizen but Obama himself was born a British subject."
The accusation of treason comes from a retired member of the U.S. military officer, Lt. Cmdr. Walter Fitzpatrick III, who has presented his complaint to U.S. Attorney Russell Dedrick in Tennessee, the presentments explain.
Fitzpatrick alleged, "Now you [Obama] have broken in and entered the White House by force of contrivance, concealment, conceit, dissembling, and deceit. Posing as an impostor president and commander in chief you have stripped civilian command and control over the military establishment. Known military criminal actors-command racketeers-are now free in the exercise of military government intent upon destruction of America's constitutional government. We come now to this reckoning. I accuse you and your military-political criminal assistants of TREASON. I name you and your military criminal associates as traitors. Your criminal ascension manifests a clear and present danger. You fundamentally changed our form of government. The Constitution no longer works."
The American Grand Jury website explains it is clear the U.S. Constitution "intended to give the grand jury power to instigate criminal charges, and this was especially true when it came to government oversight."
According to the grand jury website, "Sooner or later the court system is going to be inundated with 'presentments' against Obama. Sooner or later public sentiment is going to demand these courts act and force Obama to answer to the charges."
Although Obama officials have told WND all such allegations are "garbage," here is a partial listing and status update for some of the cases over Obama's eligibility:
- New Jersey attorney Mario Apuzzo has filed a case on behalf of Charles Kerchner and others alleging Congress didn't properly ascertain that Obama is qualified to hold the office of president.
- Pennsylvania Democrat Philip Berg has three cases pending, including Berg vs. Obama in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a separate Berg vs. Obama case that challenged his legitimacy as a U.S. senator and Hollister vs. Soetoro a/k/a Obama, (now dismissed) brought on behalf of a retired military member who could be facing recall to active duty by Obama.
- Leo Donofrio of New Jersey filed a lawsuit claiming Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court but denied a full hearing.
- Cort Wrotnowski filed suit against Connecticut's secretary of state, making a similar argument to Donofrio. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied a full hearing.
- Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes headlines a list of people filing a suit in California, in a case handled by the United States Justice Foundation, that asks the secretary of state to refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office. The case is pending, and lawyers are seeking the public's support.
- Chicago lawyer Andy Martin sought legal action requiring Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle to release Obama's vital statistics record. The case was dismissed by Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Bert Ayabe.
- Lt. Col. Donald Sullivan sought a temporary restraining order to stop the Electoral College vote in North Carolina until Barack Obama's eligibility could be confirmed, alleging doubt about Obama's citizenship. His case was denied.
- In Ohio, David M. Neal sued to force the secretary of state to request documents from the Federal Elections Commission, the Democratic National Committee, the Ohio Democratic Party and Obama to show the presidential candidate was born in Hawaii. The case was denied.
- Also in Ohio, there was the Greenberg v. Brunner case which ended when the judge threatened to assess all case costs against the plaintiff.
- In Washington state, Steven Marquis sued the secretary of state seeking a determination on Obama's citizenship. The case was denied.
- In Georgia, Rev. Tom Terry asked the state Supreme Court to authenticate Obama's birth certificate. His request for an injunction against Georgia's secretary of state was denied by Georgia Superior Court Judge Jerry W. Baxter.
- California attorney Orly Taitz has brought a case, Lightfoot vs. Bowen, on behalf of Gail Lightfoot, the vice presidential candidate on the ballot with Ron Paul, four electors and two registered voters. She also has brought forward several other cases and has conducted several public campaigns to generate awareness of the issue.
- In Texas, Darrel Hunter vs. Obama later was dismissed.
- In Ohio, Gordon Stamper vs. U.S. later was dismissed.
- In Texas, Brockhausen vs. Andrade.
- In Washington, L. Charles Cohen vs. Obama.
- In Hawaii, Keyes vs. Lingle, dismissed.
In addition, other cases cited on the RightSideofLife blog as raising questions about Obama's eligibility include:
- In Texas, Darrel Hunter vs. Obama later was dismissed.
- In Ohio, Gordon Stamper vs. U.S. later was dismissed.
- In Texas, Brockhausen vs. Andrade.
- In Washington, L. Charles Cohen vs. Obama.
WND has reported that among the documentation not yet available for Obama includes his kindergarten records, his Punahou school records, his Occidental College records, his Columbia University records, his Columbia thesis, his Harvard Law School records, his Harvard Law Review articles, his scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, his passport, his medical records, his files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records, and his adoption records.