Fears investigation would be 'biggest constitutional crisis since Civil War'
by Drew Zahn
In
former Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams, eligibility activist Tom
Ballantyne thought he had found a Republican ally who would champion the
Constitution by demanding a congressional investigation into Barack
Obama’s “natural-born citizen” status.
After all, Adams told Ballantyne he was so fierce a defender of the
Constitution that he battled his state’s Republican governor in court to
protect the legislature’s enumerated powers from executive-branch
encroachment.
When it came to investigating Obama’s eligibility, however, Adams –
who is now running for the U.S. House – said he feared Congress standing
up to the chief executive would trigger “a constitutional crisis unlike
one we’ve seen since perhaps the Civil War.”
Further, Adams questioned whether an investigation by Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio – determining probable cause to suspect the White House presented forged documents as “proof” of Obama’s eligibility – lends “credibility” to the case.
In a video shot by Ballantyne, author of “Oh Really, O’Reilly!”
and cameraman Gabe Zolna, Adams affirmed his oath of office to defend
the Constitution, but worried that investigating Obama’s potential
violation of that Constitution would create tremendous “fallout” among
the American people.
“First off, I do think it’s entirely appropriate that every candidate
for office be able to prove their eligibility,” Adams said. “But … can
you imagine the constitutional crisis that would ensue?”
He continued, “Because of how big that would be, I simply do not
believe that an investigation by a volunteer posse of the sheriff gives
enough credibility to this issue to really push this issue.”
Instead, Adams insisted Congress shouldn’t act until the question of
Obama’s eligibility had “worked its way through the legal process.”
Video of the exchange can be seen below, with Adams’ remarks on eligibility beginning at roughly the 5:55 mark:
The video concludes with Ballantyne arguing that Obama’s potential
ineligibility has already triggered a Constitutional crisis and that the
issue can’t “work its way through the legal process” because the courts
won’t grant “standing” to those seeking answers.
“Absent a congressional hearing and congressional force of authority
being brought to bear,” Ballantyne said, “it seems that everybody is
waiting for somebody else to do it.”
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