Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) is apologizing after being caught on tape delivering a birther rant about how President Obama is “not an American.” “I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don’t know that,” Coffman said at a fundraiser last week. “But I do know this, that in his heart, he’s not an American. He’s just not an American,” he said, local NBC affiliate 9NEWS reports.
An audio recording of the event was posted online by a supporter, who said, “I’m glad the congressman said it. Not enough have. More should.”
But now, Coffman, who has tried to paint himself as a moderate, is backtracking. “I misspoke and I apologize,” he said in a statement. “I have confidence in President Obama’s citizenship and legitimacy as President of the United States. … I don’t believe the president shares my belief in American Exceptionalism,” he explained.
A spokesperson for State Rep. Joe Miklosi (D), Coffman’s Democratic challenger, slammed Coffnamn’s “outrageous comments,” saying they “once again make clear that Mike Coffman is Colorado’s version of Rush Limbaugh. This kind of extremism is why Washington doesn’t work.” “We need leaders who will work together for solutions, not join the far right birther fringe or attack the President of the United States as un-American,” the spokesperson added.
Coffman is facing a tough reelection battle in a newly redrawn district that is more competitive than before.
He’s the latest Republican to join a new wave of birtherism.