Subject: [big campaign] Rep. Schmidt to birther: "I agree with you, but the courts don't"
From: "Adam Jentleson (CAPAF)" <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]'" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 17:07:12 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Rep. Jean Schmidt leans in to avoid our guy (the intrepid Victor Zapanta) but you can clearly hear what she's saying.  Then her staff tries to shut him down.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/08/jean-schmidt-birther/

Rep. Jean Schmidt Tells Birther: 'I Agree With You'

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) spoke at the Voice of America tea party<http://www.cincinnatiteaparty.org/Events/voarally2009.htm> this Labor Day weekend outside of Cincinnati, OH. Following a tense Q&A session - during which, the congresswoman was booed for acknowledging that the Constitution is a living document - Schmidt engaged in a heated conversation with a birther off-stage. At the conclusion of their exchange, Schmidt whispered to the birther, "I agree with you, but the courts don't."
Think Progress attended the event and captured exclusive video of the exchange. Watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YshG_Ok8idc&fmt=18
As Schmidt spoke to the birther, one of her staffers spotted the ThinkProgress camera and used his body to push the cameraman out of view of the congresswoman. ThinkProgress continued to film Schmidt from a respectful distance, but was again stopped by another staffer who grabbed the cameraman by the arm and ordered him to "go away."
Schmidt was among the members of Congress featured in Firedoglake's Know Your Birthers video<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib74sVFDtTs&feature=related>. In the FDL video, Schmidt can be seen running away from blogger-activist Mike Stark when he asked whether or not she has any questions about President Obama's citizenship status.
In July, following her 15 minutes of YouTube fame, Schmidt's office issued a statement to Ohio's Loveland Magazine<http://www.lovelandmagazine.com/2009/07/jean-schmidt-not-a-birther.html> to clarify her views:

The President is indeed a Citizen of this country. I voted as a Member of the House to certify the vote of the Electoral College electing him as our President. I may not agree with his politics but there is no doubt he is our President and has my full respect as such.

Schmidt's exchange with the birther this weekend directly contradicts her July statement. The footage appears to indicate that Schmidt is a closet birther who questions the citizenship of the President.

-----
Adam Jentleson
Communications Director, Progressive Media
Center for American Progress Action Fund
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
ajentleson (AIM)
202-247-8614 (cell)

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