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.