ping
Thanks for pinging. =)
The thing about these alterations is that the HI AG would have no legal basis to require those changes - ESPECIALLY the requirement that Bennett withdraw the request form, because that is what he is legally supposed to be able to ask for: verification that those particular facts are true according to legal evidentiary standards.
There would be no legal excuse for the HI AG’s office to demand that to be withdrawn. The HI AG clearly used a threat: if you don’t withdraw that request we’re going to say you aren’t eligible to get a response from us, and then you’re going to be grilled over a media fire.
He played chicken with Bennett. And Bennett blinked. BUT at the same time, the HI AG made it clear to Bennett - and to anybody who understands what really happened - that they CANNOT verify the truth of those facts, because Obama’s record is late and amended and thus not legally valid. The special requests of verification provided an “out” for the HDOH to APPEAR to be verifying the information without actuallly legally doing so.
IOW, it took 8 weeks to come up with a win-win for both Bennett (who wanted to satisfy those pressuring him without actually having to leave Obama off the ballot) and the HDOH (who wanted to appear to verify the claims in the court of public opinion, without having anything LEGAL that Arpaio could eventually charge them with).