Author of Obama Muslim rumor replaces it with Communist rumor David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Monday October 27, 2008





Print This Email This The man who originated the rumor that Barack Obama was born a Muslim is now promoting an entirely different story, claiming that Obama is actually the son of a black activist who was suspected in the 1950s of Communist ties.



Andy Martin first launched the "Muslim" rumor in 2004, just two weeks after Obama gained national attention at that year's Democratic convention. His initial press release was picked up by the conservative website FreeRepublic, and from there the story snowballed on the Internet.



However, Martin now tells CNN that, as the result of a recent visit to Honolulu to investigate Obama's background, he concluded that "his father was Frank Marshall Davis." Martin offered no proof for this assertion and implied it was just a gut feeling.



Davis was a black poet and political activist in the 1920s and 30s who moved to Hawaii in 1948 and wrote for a newspaper which the House Un-American Activities Committee accused of being a Communist front. Right-wing websites have been claiming since last winter that Davis was not only a Communist Party member but also the mentor to Obama in his teen years who he refers to in his autobiography as "Frank."



Martin himself is known for his history of frivolous lawsuits and anti-Semitic remarks. He was thrust into prominence earlier this month by an appearance on the Fox News program of Sean Hannity, where he asserted that "Obama's role as a community organizer [in Chicago] was a political staging ground perpetuated by the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers."



Martin further told Hannity that Obama "probably had met William Ayers in New York, and was coming here to lay the foundations for what he thought would be some sort of political movement" and that an Obama presidency would lead to "a socialist revolution, which attempts to essentially freeze out anybody who's not part of this radical ideology."



When asked by CNN whether this new story doesn't refute his original claim that Obama was a Muslim, Martin replied, "Absolutely. ... I'm an honest writer and an honest researcher. ... I'm known as a person who strives for the truth." However, he continues to insist that any confusion is Obama's fault because he "hasn't told the truth to the American people."



Although the revised story may fit better with recent Republican suggestions that Obama is promoting "socialism," Martin himself insists that "I've gotten a lot of flack for this latest rumor, simply because people want to believe he's a Muslim."



This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast October 27, 2008.









Download video via RawReplay.com







