Sheriff Joe Arpaio Admits Using Taxpayer Funds To Pursue Birther Conspiracy Probe: ‘So What?’

[MindMover]

In the year since President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, tax payers are partly-funding Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s investigation into whether or not the president was truly born in the United States.

The Arizona Republic and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser report that two men identifying themselves as Michael Zullo and Brian Mackiewcz arrived at the Hawaii Department of Health on Monday and requested verification of Obama’s birth.

They left after a Hawaii deputy attorney provided them information on the legal requirements for obtaining that documentation. Zullo is a volunteer in Arpaio’s inquiry, but Mackiewcz provided a business card identifying him as a public employee who works in the Threats Management Unit of the sheriff’s office.

Arpaio, who has previously claimed that the investigation was being funded through private donations, dismissed concerns about tax dollars funding the conspiracy quest and said “he hopes the agency will be paid back through private donations”:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/22/488323/sheriff-joe-arpaio-uses-taxpayer-funds-to-pursue-birther-conspiracy-probe/

[yellowcanine]

1. So public funds paid for these guys to fly to Hawaii to work on a political project for the Sheriff?

That has to be against the law.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I certainly hope there's enough Democrats living in Maricopa County to file a

lawsuit against old Joe for mis-use of taxpayer funds.

[tanyev]

3. You can't spell "crazy" without AZ.

[hifiguy]

4. Sounds like something the local DA

should be looking into, if not the state's attorney general. What an asshat.