New York (CNN) - Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, famously said he wanted to put the Obama 'birther' issue to rest in December of last year, after he was elected to office; he wanted to show the world the president's original birth certificate.
"Obviously I'm going to do what's legally possible," he told CNN's Ed Henry on December 27 of last year. But it's not legally possible for the governor to release private records of the president or any other Hawaiian citizen except for his own.
Since then, Abercrombie has been silent on this issue. But, in part 2 of the AC360°'s investigation in Hawaii, Abercrombie spoke to CNN . In an emotional interview, he talked about his memories of President Obama as an infant in Honolulu. Abercrombie was friends with both Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham at the University of Hawaii, and remembers celebrating the birth of their son.
"Of course, we had no idea at the time that the future president of the United States was that little boy, that little baby, and we are very, very happy of course that that took place," Abercrombie told CNN.
Related: Obama born in U.S., CNN investigation confirms
Even though the Hawaii governor cannot release President Obama's original birth certificate, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, former director of the Department of Health under Hawaii's former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, has inspected the document, which is stored in a vault in the Department of Health Building. Dr. Fukino has examined the document twice and in her first on camera interview, tells CNN the document is "absolutely" authentic.
Dr. Fukino, a registered Republican, says she has no doubt that President Obama was born in the State of Hawaii.
Related video: Fukino on Obama's birth certificate
Though there is much focus on the president's original birth certificate, AC360°'s investigation shows that the certification of live birth released by President Obama in 2008 is the same certificate that is issued to every Hawaiian. CNN obtained a birth certificate for Stig Weidelich, a Hawaiian who was born in the same hospital, the day after the president was born.
The document given to Stig from the Department of Health is the same exact document that President Obama has released. Stig, who no longer has his original birth certificate, can use this document for any court proceedings and any legal purposes.
Stig Waidelich was born on August 5, 1961 in the Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu, where President Obama says he was born. Monika Danielson is Stig's mother and she has vivid memories from the hospital after Stig was born. Monika told CNN that she remembers visiting the nursery after Stig's birth and seeing a lot of Asian babies, one white baby which was her son, and one black baby.
Because Monika is from Sweden, she told CNN that she had not seen many black children or babies before, which was why she particularly remembers seeing this black baby in the nursery. When President Obama became a candidate in 2008, Monika noticed his birth date and hospital in an article and remembered that day in the nursery. She believes that baby she spotted was indeed President Obama.
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Post by: Gary Tuchman Filed under: 360° Radar • 360º Follow • President Barack Obama |
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Why are we even talking about the Hawaii birthplace (that I believe). President Obama's mother is American, so why isn't he a citizen by aquisition anyway ?
I am not born in America; I am not claiming to be an American. But I love America and I respect the Americans and definitely the American President. I follow CNN a lot and I am a big fan of Anderson Cooper. I do NOT understand why CNN and other news network are giving so much credibility to Donald Trump. He is just using the networks for his own benefit. He lacks credibility. He is being very vocal about American buying goods from China; what about him? Will he be willing to stop buying his building materials from China? I guess not because his products will not be competitive. Please STOP talking about the US President's birth certificate. This is not an issue. Use your time for more credible analysis. Thank you
This is really weak reporting, Anderson. A woman remembers a black baby in the nursery of a hospital where she gave birth to a child and that is supposed to be proof that Obama was born there? And then we're using hearsay to prove Obama actually has a birth certificate. My question is: Why is it no one will ever ask Obama
WHY he doesn't release the birth certificate? It's certainly a valid question. (This whole thing is like the Emperor's New Clothes. No one wants to ask the emperor why he is naked.)
I have a certificate of live birth from Hawaii from 1960 and has been the only certificae I have used my entire life I don't get what they are questioning about and about another comment about Hawaii it became a state in 1959. Thank you
That's all cheap politics from Donald Trump and others. It's definitively cheaper than actually proposing real solution to America's problems. Would Trump show his grades (high school, college, university) ? His service records ? His financial books (didn't he declare bankcrupcy at one point, why ) ? His income tax returns ?
Just asking.
What a colossal waste of time. I think Donald Trump is a great business man. If he is so concerned about the country, why not offer his time and business knowledge of China to the administration as a gesture of good will. This "birther" debacle is totally beneath Trump and his credibility as a potential candidate is totally marred.
It must take a lot of restraint to avoid calling birther claims as trumped up charges.
II remember the McCarthy hearings and Trump sounds disturbing like McCarthy. All hand waving and outlandish clams with no back up.
I recall Jon Klein, CNN US President, in 2009, telling the staff the original "long form" certificate had been destroyed by Hawaiian officials; now it's in a vault and only Obama can let us see it, and won't, so that's "Proof" that he's a naturall-born citizen? Jeez, doesn't ANYTHING embarrass you guys?
"Even though the Hawaii governor cannot release President Obama's original birth certificate"...this is not true, President Obama can authorize its release. That would solve the problem entirely.
I think the people who are question his birthplace woudn't care if he was white.
Whew! Thank goodness, two hearsay observations that would not hold up in any court. AND a Dem Governor's convenient memory all conclude that there is absolutely, positively a really reallly really real birth certificate which only the President can reveal, but instead he's substituted a "document" which he doesn't need since the reallly really really real document exits. Yeah... good job CNN... There's no doubt. NO DOUBT! NO NO NO DOUBT. Uh-huh. Great investigating reporting CNN. That doesn't hurt your credibility really really really much.... SHEEEZE.....
By giving this non-issue air time you are catering to insane people. I almost had it last week when Ms. Zahn was doing everything she could think of to get Gary Johnson to say something negative about the other candidates. I commend him for sticking to his guns, and I hope he runs a clean, positive campaign and justs sticks to the issues that our country faces. But this clap-trap about whether Mr. Obama is a citizen or not is the last straw. He would not have been allowed to run for president if he was not a bonafide U.S. citizen. CNN was my last bastion for the news in this country, but you have lost another American to the BBC. You probably won't miss me, and I'm sure I won't miss you and your network's muckraking style. You should have stayed with reporting the news. Goodbye. click.
OK. Granted. President Obama was born in Hawaii. That makes him a natural born citizen just like anyone else who was born in the USA.
So why doesn't he himself, as he could, obtain a copy of his original birth certificate and give it to CNN? His original birth certificate looks like everyone else's, like yours and mine. What is he hiding?
If Barack Obama were a Republican, the New York Times would have found someone to leak it, or they would have hounded the President until he gave over a copy, and we would have seen it on the front page, above the fold, two years ago.
Some day we will all find out. We may not find out until after he finishes his second term, but we will find out. I hope that at that time, we will decide that he had a good reason for keeping it out of the public eye.
Although I believe we need a strong business man in government right now and I thought Donald Trump might be that man he proved to me last night he definitely is NOT the man for the job. He sounded like every other right winged nut out there right now. He refused to listen to anything Anderson had to say just reiterating the birther garbage that has been rehashed to death.
I am fed up with Trump and the TEA party. This country is in an economic crisis and all they seem to talk about is Pres. Obama's birth cirtificate. Their focus is so far off from what is really important. I don't care if Obama was from another planet. All he tries to do is get Republicans and Democrats together to come up with a plan to save our children's future. Say what you want, but I don't think that it is a coincidence that politicians attack our first "black" president's eligibility.
I want to see the "long" form.. not the Certificate of Live Birth. My COLB is not acceptable to get a passport. I have to have the long form. I want to see the name of his father. For me, the question is NOT "Was Obama born in Hawaii." The question is "Was his father an American citizen?" Was he a citizen at the time of Obama's birth. If he wasn't, then Obama is not eligible to be our President.
CNN, Why don't you prove where Barrack Obama was born.That's your job.The Certificate of Live Birth that you wave around does not prove He was born in the United States or Hawaai. (read up on the history and use for the Certificate of Live birth) A certificate of Live Birth will not pass muster if you try to get a Secret or Top secret clearance to work around or handle nuclear weapons How is it that Obama can be allowed in some US government top secret locations?Show us a long form birth certificate that shows where he was born, and who the doctor was that delivered Him and we will all be satisfied.
A COLB is not a birth certificate. The question should not be was Obama born in Hawaii it should be "what is on the BC he doesn't want anyone to see"? Second question "why is the race on the COLB for Obama's father listed as African"? African is not a race.
If you would quit giving Donald Trump so much air time this whole stupid thing would just go away! We don't need 2 nights of listening to his rants, get on with the real news!
Why are we keeping Americans minds on his birth certificate when he has committed Treason with the Lybia episode in which he never got congress to approve, but Nato. Just say no to One world government. Also it is unconstitutional to make people by healthcare. Obama Care is Unconstitutional. WHY hasnt he been forced to answer for these illegal activities???