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County supervisors refuse donations for Arpaio's "birther" investigation

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has refused private money to pay for an investigation into President Obama's citizenship. Last month, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio sent a deputy to Hawaii, along with members of his volunteer cold case posse, to verify President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. So-called “birthers” claim the President was born in Kenya, his father’s country of origin, making him ineligible for the White House.

Despite Hawaiian officials repeatedly confirming that Obama is a natural-born citizen, the sheriff’s deputy made the trip, incurring more than $3,500 in overtime. The county supervisors refused to accept about $9,600 in private donations designated to offset the trip’s expenses. The Sheriff’s spokeswoman said they will try again to get the board to accept the money.