Trump maneuver leaves Democrats grasping on birther issue

Allegations about the involvement of Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign in spreading rumors about President Obama's birth certificate continued to build through the weekend, leading Democrats to provide answers that ranged from denials to reported apologies, and culminating with the party's flustered nominee for vice president trying to talk instead about slavery.

"From the time African-Americans arrived here in 1619 through the end of the civil War, an African-American could not be a citizen of the United States," Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said in a Sunday morning interview on CNN. "We had to change the Constitution," he added, as anchor Jake Tapper tried to interject, saying, "I get it, sir."

Kaine failed to respond to Tapper's question. "Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime Clinton confidante and friend, was peddling the birther lie in 2008, according to the former Washington bureau chief of the McClatchy news group," Tapper pointed out. "Has Secretary Clinton, or the campaign in anyway, looked into whether Blumenthal was pushing the birther lie?"

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