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Obama Camp: Senator Knew Nothing About Aunt's Illegal Immigration Status

November 01, 2008 11:50 AM

In response to last night's late-breaking AP story that Sen. Barack Obama's aunt Zeituni Onyango is in the U.S. illegally Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton tells us, "Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed."

Democrats are already pointing out that the AP's information about the aunt  came from "a person familiar with the matter" and a person who is "a federal law enforcement official."

Meaning some federal government resources have been devoted to this story, which is potentially embarrassing for the Democratic presidential frontrunner.

Just as, Republicans would no doubt counter, some Ohio state government resources were devoted to finding out more information about Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber."

The Columbus Dispatch reports the latest twist and turn in that case, with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services senior manager Vanessa Niekamp contradicting agency director Helen Jones-Kelley's explanation that Wurzelbacher's records were search because her agency checks people who are "thrust into the public spotlight." Niekamp is a Republican; Jones-Kelley a Democrat.

-- jpt

November 1, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (279)

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Aunti was very well kept, Obama had no idea she was still here, you guys are so silly to think he had any knowledge of her existence in the USA !!! you silly rabbits !!! shame on you accusing people of ignoring Aunti !!!

This is just a taste of what Obama will do to this country !!!
He will not be attached to anything negative and play on the race card for anything that is convinient !!!

Vote Obama/Biden suckers !!!

Posted by: Alexis | Nov 1, 2008 11:58:12 PM


Obama made over $1 million last year and his destitute aunt sent him money.

This is wealth redistribution under Barack Obama?


Posted by: John Galt | Nov 1, 2008 11:43:58 PM


How dare the feds investigate an illegal immigrant who is related to Obama.

Smear! Smear!

Posted by: John Galt | Nov 1, 2008 11:41:05 PM

For those who believe that Obama didn't know his aunt was in this country illegally - I have the state of Virginia to sell ya.

Do you actually believe that Auntie Zeituni never asked her nephew, Senator Obama, to use his influence in D.C to assist with her immigration issue. OH PLEASE!!!

He knew full well what her status was. Perhaps he even instructed her to lay low until after his inauguration by promising to use his influence as president to resolve the issue.

Posted by: NoNonse | Nov 1, 2008 11:36:40 PM

Why does the rich relative always bear the blame and responsibillity for every one else.

Posted by: RubyRed Republican | Nov 1, 2008 9:52:13 PM

Barack and Michelle should be helping out their family memebers. They aren't spreading THEIR WEALTH! The auntie lives in Public Housing? Is an illegal to top it off. The half BROTHER lives in poverty? The Obama's have raked in MILLIONS of personal wealth for years. It would not have hurt them to give the brother some money, right? Obama expects ME to "Spread MY wealth"! And I don't want to because I think everybody just needs to get up early and get off their duff and go to work like I have done all of MY LIFE. He can't spread his wealth to his family to at least keep himself out of the shame of being a public millionare with dirt poor family and in the forefront in the news right now. Shameless OBAMA!

Posted by: Vicky | Nov 1, 2008 9:15:13 PM

Barack "Hussein" Obama

It's the name in the middle that is the center of his family origin and THE reason we need to question this man origin who has such strange political fellows and illegal relative (s) in tow. Lives have been lost in fighting against the "Husseins" of the world while Tax moneys collected from American citizens are lost in supporting his illegal immigrant auntie via Boston Housing Authority

Posted by: debulium | Nov 1, 2008 8:44:48 PM

First things first. Obama had to fill out forms for a Top Secret clearance. He has to disclose all relatives, their location and status. He either forgot the Aunt or the investigator did a poor job(didn't read the book). The day after the election is confirmed, he will be briefed on the nations most trusted secrets. I am getting butterflys knowing someone who can't find relatives he made money off of in his book will have access to the world.
Second point is "what a hypocrite", he talks about redistributing the wealth, but doesn't help those family members who helped sell a book. McCain at least professes the republican greed and says, "keep what is yours". I'm thinking I'd rather know I'm being told the truth. At least I know if I want to keep what's mine, I have to go earn it. I'll bet many will be upset when their welfare checks don't go up or the jobless find out you need that rich guy to spend his money to open a factory before you can get a job. Oh wait! under the Obama plan he'll tax that rich guy and take the money he would use to build a business and upgrade his Aunts public housing apartment. Now, she will have a nice place for two years until the upkeep bills come in and she can't maintain it.

Think about her statement. "I can't talk to the press until after the election" Huh! since when does freedom of speech get stifled at election time. Also, he didn't know her status, but she comes up with the silence line on her own, let me put on some boots, its getting deep. There is a lot more to this. Let the public know!!!

Posted by: Dave | Nov 1, 2008 8:43:33 PM

Barack Hussein Obama
Why don't we ever see the full name in the press?

Posted by: A Veteran | Nov 1, 2008 8:32:52 PM

Regarding Barack Hussein Obama's Illegal Resident Auntie living on Public Housing in Boston: Why delay deportation? Is Illegal, Illegal...or not Illegal when Barack Hussein Obama is running for President.

Why would a candidate for President "disable controls?"

Regarding Barack Hussein Obama's Auntie residing in Public Housing in Boston as an Illegal Immigrant, sucking support from our fellow tax payers (does she get FREE HEALTH CARE as an Illegal Immigrant?)

It was stated that "The 'AP just reported that the campaign donations of $260 was being returned because it was against the law for her to donate to a political campaign. Where are the campaign controls to prevent illegal donations? The fact that her donations were accepted without being flagged suggests to me that a significant portion of Obama's warchest is questionable. Several stories earlier the week mentioned that the Obama folks had disabled some of their controls and were accepting donations on untraceable 'cash cards'. ' Gosh...wasn't she personally invited by Barack Hussein Obama via the address at the Public Housing Authority? Does Barack Hussein Obama invite all the illegal immigrants to vote or just the Auntie's in Public Housing?...

The only reason he returned the $260 was because he got caught by the AP with his hand in an ILLEGAL kettle.

I believe it is time to review ALL of Obama's contributions/warchest revenue (DONATIONS), to see how many more illegal aliens have contributed and have hopes of "spreading the wealth" or "spreading our money around to them" to support them.

This, AFTER OBAMA agreed with McCain to accept Public Funding (after McCain KEPT his work and signed the paper) and then Barack Hussein Obama began to 'bang the public' for $$$$ to support (his Campaign to CHANGE America) him, via "spreading the wealth around". I was on the fence, but as an independent, but I'm finished with this BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA....I'M VOTING FOR A TRUE AMERICAN...I'M VOTING FOR MCCAIN.

Posted by: Debulium | Nov 1, 2008 8:29:54 PM

Obama should have known that his aunt was here illegally. Give me a break. A judge ordered her deported.

After the election will she be allowed to stay? Because if she is, then the rest of the illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay too.

Posted by: Michelle | Nov 1, 2008 8:02:00 PM

Chris, Chris, Chris,

Wendy Button (Obama's speech writer) put the nix on your comment over 2 days ago now.

Type in her name, I found her statement on monkey crash dot com.

She quit and is going to vote Mcain /Palin

"The party I believed in wouldn’t look down on working people under any circumstance. And Joe the Plumber is right. This is the absolutely worst time to raise taxes on anyone: the rich, the middle class, the poor, small businesses and corporations.

Our economy is in the tank for many complicated reasons, especially because people don’t have enough money. So let them keep it. Let businesses keep it so they can create jobs and stay here and weather this storm. And yet, the Democratic ideology remains the same. Our approach to problems—big government solutions paid for by taxing the rich and big and smaller companies—is just as tired and out of date as trickle down economics. How about a novel approach that simply finds a sane way to stop the bleeding?

That’s not exactly the philosophy of a Democrat. Not only has this party belittled working people in this campaign from Joe the Plumber to the bitter comments, it has also been part of tearing down two female candidates."

Posted by: woman citizen | Nov 1, 2008 7:36:06 PM

Melvin, In a free Country anyone can be on the ballot.
It is the job of the voter to vet and the press is granted the right to find out and print it.

In case you still believe what you wrote, look at the ballot again.
Raul Castro is on it in the Presidential slot for your voting pleasure also.

How long have you been on this planet?
Don't they teach civics in schools anymore?

Posted by: woman citizen | Nov 1, 2008 7:28:58 PM

The Great nixon moniker
Tricky Dicky

The Great Obama 2008 moniker is the Great line from Schultzy on Hogan's Heros... Barrack Hussein "I know nothing!" Obama.
Ayers

Khalidi

Odinga

Wright

Faracon

'Auntie Zeituni'

Next we will hear that "he knew nothing" about dressing the "hopeful first lady of the USA" in a cheap Harlequin clown yellow puppet outfit, to appear on National tv,
which makes him appear to abusively hoard money from the wife too.

The list we know about who and what he didn't know at this tip might be only the tip of an iceberg big enough to sink the unsinkable Titanic.

Posted by: woman citizen | Nov 1, 2008 7:24:35 PM

Obama isn't dumb. If he had spent the time to track his distant aunt's status, and he knew she didn't have the proper paper work, he obviously would have said, "I'm running for President, if you don't have the right paperwork it could make me look bad, so, please, dot all the is and cross all the t's"

I have absolutely no idea of any of my aunts and uncles affairs. the live in other states and we exchange christmas cards, but they don't send me all their life's paperwork.

Posted by: chris | Nov 1, 2008 6:27:09 PM

Joe the plumber is fair game becasue the presidential candidates brought him up in the debate as an example of how people would be affected by Obama's tax plan. It turned out "Joe" the plumber lied about his name, he lied about how much money the business made, he lied about his plans to buy the business (he has no money to buy a business). He also doesn't pay his taxes. All this is relevant since McCain is holding him up as an example. Interestingly, they have yet to produce someone that wull actually get a tax increase under Obama's plan. Obama's aunt, on the other hand, is a relative he has only seen a few times in his life, he hasn't seen her in years and Obama knows nothin of her affairs. It's pretty irrelevant.

Posted by: chris | Nov 1, 2008 6:20:41 PM

Based on what "Howard" 11/1/08 5:38:47 p.m. posted - the combination of things that Obama did not know appears to repeat GWB'S not knowing about Mass Weapons of Destruction. This being the case -- my guess is that we will be headed for even greater faux paus than our invasiion of IRAQ. You want to know why JIACG exists --that's why? It seems this candidate is does not pay attention to the consequences of his decisions. Howard is on the mark.

ABC said it will take a miracle to change the odds (i.e., polls) -- well that's just a shift in perception --

Posted by: Wisdom | Nov 1, 2008 6:05:24 PM

It's all bullcrap! If Obama was terrorist, wouldn't the big CIA know? Or the NSA so ignorant. They can even violate our rights by tapping us any time they want without warrants. They can even see the ants moving on the ground of Iraq. If Obama really was a terrorist, he wouldn't even be a senator in the very first place. Don't be so foolish to get fooled by low-road tactics and fallacy-filled cheap attacks of the republicans.

Posted by: Melvin | Nov 1, 2008 6:02:33 PM

After the election. After McCain is elected and all the truth about Obama comes out and the American public realizes how much the media lied, hid information and covered for Obama some heads are gonna roll! When we realize how close we came to being ruled by a man we did not even know and when we find out who he is we will be so alarmed, so angry, so thirsty for righteous truth. Goodbye NBC, CBS, ABC news your era is over. You blew it with this election. You let the American people down. You were bought out!! Vote against the media vote McCain.

Posted by: Ginger | Nov 1, 2008 5:58:23 PM

Makes me think,
Sat in a Church for 20 years but didn’t know Wright was a racist, Did business with Ayers for 15 years but didn’t know he was a terrioist. Bought property from Resko but didn’t know he was shady. Didn’t know Dr. Khalid Abdullah was anti Semite. Didn’n know Auntie Zeituni is here illegally (living in Public Housing and contributing to his campaign illegally). Sent a Director from his campaign to a meeting with Islamic Terriost but didn’t know. Seems to me he doesn’t know some very important things….or did he and is not being honest! Obama is a dangerous man!

1. Occidental College records –Not released
2. Columbia College records – Not released
3. Columbia Thesis Paper – “not available”
4. Harvard College records – Not released
5. Selective Service Registration – Not released
6. Medical records – Not released
7. Illinois State Senate schedule – “not available”
8. Law practice client list – Not released
9. Certified Copy of original Birth certificate – Not released
10. Embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth – Not released
11. Harvard Law Review articles published – None
12. University of Chicago scholarly articles – None
13. Your Record of baptism – Not released or “not available”
14. Your Illinois State Senate records– “not available”

Posted by: Howard | Nov 1, 2008 5:38:47 PM

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