Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), shown here on Georgia public television in July 2008, said Friday that he’s not sure whether President Barack Obama is a citizen or a Christian. Broun not sure if Obama is citizen

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) said Thursday that he does not know if President Barack Obama is either a citizen or a Christian.

Broun made the claim during an interview with Sirius XM host Pete Dominick, which was first flagged by the liberal blog Think Progress.


Asked if he thought the president is an “American citizen and a Christian,” Broun first responded, “I’m not going to get involved in that.”

But pressed on whether he thought Obama is a citizen, he said “I don’t know.”

“Is he a Christian?” Dominick then asked.

“I don’t know that,” Broun responded, explaining that “I’m a Christian but only me and the Lord know that for sure.”

The Georgia congressman spent much of the rest of the interview attacking Obama as a “socialist.”

“I know he is,” a socialist, Broun said. “You look at his own writings. He said when he was in college he leaned to Marxist tendencies and is linked to Marxist professors. He joined Marxists clubs. And look at who he’s put in his administration, they’re devout socialists.”

“America has to stand up and decide if we want to be a socialist nation or if we’re going to be a free nation,” he said.

Broun spokeswoman Debbee Keller looked to clarify the Republican’s comments after they began to circulate, telling POLITICO: “Dr. Broun did not cast doubt on Obama's religious beliefs or citizenship. When someone else forced the question, he said it wasn't fair to speculate.”