Senate Republican Supports Birther Lawsuits

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) told a Louisiana constituent Sunday that he supports legal efforts to require President Barack Obama to confirm his U.S. citizenship.

“I personally don’t have standing to bring litigation in court, but I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court,” Vitter said when asked during a campaign event about what he would do about Obama’s alleged refusal to provide a birth certificate. “I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it.”

The exchange takes place in an online video supplied Monday evening to the political news site TalkingPointsMemo.com by the Louisiana Democratic Party.

Conspiracy theories surrounding Obama’s place of birth, which fringe conservatives claim to be Kenya, date back to the Democratic Presidential primary. In 2007, the Obama campaign responded to the rumors by publishing Obama’s certificate of live birth from the state of Hawai and allowing the non-partisan organization FactCheck.Org to examine it. FactCheck.org determined it was authentic.

The theories have thus proven to be politically toxic, a circumstance Vitter seemed to acknowledge in the video.

“If we focus on that issue and let our eye off the ball in terms of this fall’s election, in terms of ongoing policy votes, week in, week out in the Congress, I think that’s a big mistake,” Vitter said.

Vitter, who is running for re-election, recently acquired a primary challenger, former state Supreme Court Justice Chet Traylor.