‘If I had to prove citizenship, then why not Obama?

July 08, 2010 – A Mexican-born candidate for U.S. Senate said he is considering a lawsuit against the Missouri secretary of state for discrimination because her office forced him to produce a birth certificate but “didn’t make Obama show proof of citizenship” to appear on the ballot.

Hector Maldonado, 38, a self-described “Lincolnian Republican conservative,” is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri. He was born one of 10 children in Durango, Mexico. His father is a migrant field worker who owns a small hog ranch in Perris, California.

During the following July 5 interview with Karen Berka of Branson Radio Live posted on YouTube, Maldonado explains why he thinks his rights were violated when the secretary of state’s office asked for proof of U.S. citizenship when he filed to run for the Senate.

Maldonado, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, explains on his website that he became a U.S. citizen in 1995. But he said Secretary of State Robin Carnahan sent him a letter in May asking him to produce documentation.

“It said, ‘Hey, you have to prove you’re a citizen.’ I ignored it,” he said. “You know, Obama ignored it, so I figured I could get away with it, too.”

The audience began laughing, applauding and cheering during his statement.

Maldonado continued, “But it’s not that simple. I didn’t get away with it. I got a certified letter from Ms. Robin Carnahan’s office saying that if I did not prove that I was a U.S. citizen, then I would be removed from the ballot.”

He claims Carnahan’s office gave him a deadline of May 12.

“I got all my documents together: my birth certificate, which is a Mexican birth certificate; my naturalization certificate; my orders sending me to Iraq and Afghanistan; my bronze-star citations and a couple of officer evaluations that say I’m a pretty good and effective leader,” he said. “So I brought all this documentation, and they were only interested in the naturalization certificate. They made a photocopy of it.”

Maldonado said he asked Carnahan’s office if his citizenship documentation would be public record and available to anyone who wants a copy.

“They said, oh yes, absolutely, anyone that wants proof, we have it,” he explained. “I said, OK, can you do me a favor then? I’m sure Ms. Carnahan requested the same of Barack Obama when he petitioned to get on the Missouri ballot to become president.”

He added, “They had no response. They had nothing.”

Maldonado said he thought about picketing during Obama’s visit to Missouri today to raise money for Carnahan’s U.S. Senate campaign. Obama arrived in Kansas City this morning to make appearances at two fundraising events for Carnahan. Missouri’s primary election will take place on August 3.

“But I decided something different. I’m actually considering suing Ms. Robin Carnahan because she discriminated against me,” he said. “She has said that her job is to protect Missouri from fraud and corruption. But the fraud that she created if she did not make Mr. Obama show proof of citizenship when he petitioned to get on the Missouri ballot … all the votes that he got should be taken back.”

He said he hopes citizens of other states sue their own secretaries of state if they cannot show they requested proper documentation from Obama before allowing him to appear on the state ballot.

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