Sheriff Arpaio Sends Deputy and Posse Member to Hawaii to Verify President Obama's Birth Certificate

Once again, Maricopa Count Sheriff, Joe Arpaio has thrust himself into controversy, by sending a county deputy from his "threats unit" to Hawaii to check out the validity of President Obama's birth certificate.

His deputy, Brian Mackiewcz, traveled with posse member Michael Zullo yesterday to the 50th state confirm authenticity.

This comes on the heels of Arizona's Secretary of State Ken Bennet saying his was not convinced that Obama's birth certificate on file in Hawaii is real. He said on air at an interview with conservative radio talk show host Mike Broomhead on KfYI in Phoenix.

Saying his investigation isn't personal, rather in response to what he said was more than 1,200 letters requesting an investigation after Sheriff Arpaio's unveiled his investigation into the birth certificate.

Arpaio says the investigation began last year at the request of the Surprise Tea Party. This March during a Arpaio news conference, posse man Zullo, along with members of the Surprise Tea Party and Jerry Corsi, conspiracy theorist and writer, pointed out why they thought the birth certificate as well as selective service card were fake.

Arpaio claims the investigation isn't political in nature but instead an investigation to file out if the certificates were fakes regardless of Obama's birthplace.

On the other hand, the secretary of state is pursuing the investigation to find if Obama should be on the state's ballots at election time.