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Thursday, Feb 17, 2011 3:20 PM UTC

Bachmann comes out as birther-curious

The right-wing congresswoman says "it's not for me to state" whether Barack Obama is an American citizen

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Topics: Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., War Room,

Bachmann comes out as birther-curiousRep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., poses for a picture with a birthday cake for President Ronald Reagan at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(Credit: AP)

Yesterday Alex wrote about the new poll that shows a majority of likely GOP primary voters are Birthers and the fact that elected Republicans are increasingly unwilling to disown Birtherism lest they alienate their base.

Thus, Speaker John Boehner, asked about the bogus conspiracy theory that Obama is not a U.S. citizen, said “it’s not my job to tell the American people what to think.”

On Good Morning America today, Rep. Michele Bachmann, who is flirting with a presidential run, engaged in an unsubtle routine of verbal acrobatics when confronted about the issue by George Stephanopolous. Check out this remarkable exchange:

STEPHANOPOULOS: A sizable number of GOP primary voters still are questioning President Obama’s faith and citizenship. Can you just state very clearly that President Obama is a Christian and he is a citizen of the United States?

BACHMANN: Well that isn’t for me to state, that’s for the president to state.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you believe it?

BACHMANN: The president makes his statements — I think they need to stand for their own.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well he has stated it very clearly, I’m just asking if you believe it.

BACHMANN: Well I think we should take the president at his word.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you can’t just sit there and declare, ‘the president is a citizen and he is a Christian.’

BACHMANN: You know what I focus on today is that today is the two-year anniversary of the stimulus program …    

Watch the interview, with the relevant section starting around 4:30:

 

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin More Justin Elliott.

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