White House Slams Rev. Franklin Graham for Comment about Issues Surrounding President Obama's Birth
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Re. Franklin Graham/AP image
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said comments by Rev. Franklin Graham that there were issues surrounding President Obama's birth were "preposterous charges."
Graham, who has met with Obama before, appeared on ABC's "This Week" and was asked about people like Donald Trump bringing up questions about the president's birth. "Well, the -- the president I know has some issues to deal with here. He can solve this whole birth certificate issue pretty quickly. I don't -- I was born in a hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, and I know that my records are there," Graham said.
"You can probably even go and find out what room my mother was in when I was born. I don't know why he can't produce that. So I'm not -- I don't know. But it's an issue that looks like he could -- he could answer pretty quickly," he added.
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Carney, in an abrupt answer, reacted and said, "It's interesting that a minister would use Easter Sunday to make preposterous charges."
A reporter in the daily White House briefing had asked for reaction to Graham's comments that aired Sunday and also for other charges that Graham has made about the Muslim Brotherhood infiltrating all parts of the Obama administration.
The interview with the influential evangelical pastor took place late last week, but aired on Easter Sunday.
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The issue of the president's faith also came up. As recently as last week, President Obama professed his Christianity, also going to church services with his family in D.C. on Sunday. However, the president still battles misperceptions that he is a Muslim.
"Now, he has told me that he is a Christian. But the debate comes, what is a Christian? For him, going to church means he's a Christian. For me, the definition of a Christian is whether we have given our life to Christ and are following him in faith and we have trusted him as our lord and savior. That's the definition of a Christian. It's not as to what church you are a member of. A membership doesn't make you a Christian," Graham said.
The reverend said he does take the president at his word on that. "Well, when he says it, of course, I can't -- I'm not going to say, "Well, no, you're not." I mean, God -- God is the only one who knows his heart."