The RNC's chairman, Reince Priebus released a statement immediately after President Obama released yet another version of his birth certificate this morning.
As I’ve repeatedly stated, this issue is a distraction. Our economy is strained from out of control deficits, debt, and unsustainable entitlements. The President ought to spend his time getting serious about repairing our economy, working with Republicans and focusing on the long term sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Unfortunately his campaign politics and talk about birth certificates is distracting him from our number one priority – our economy.It should be noted that Priebus has no ground to stand on when talking about birtherism inside the Republican party. Approximately three weeks ago Priebus called Trump in the midst of his conspiratorial birther campaign. The meeting was to validate Trump's place inside the Republican party as a serious candidate and Priebus didn't condemn Trump or get him to stop pushing a discredited conspiracy theory. From Politico, three weeks ago.
Nonetheless, the call is validation of Trump's role on the national scene and his draw for the GOP right now, at a time when many Republicans are bemoaning their choices for 2012 and looking for something fresh.Two weeks ago a US News and World Report reported that Priebus told birthers to "shut up" but in a very unusually public move Priebus went to twitter to deny that he had told Trump to "shut up" about birtherism.
Sources said it was a brief discussion and largely about saying an initial hello, but that it touched on Trump's strength in the recent poll.
The RNC and Reince Priebus are playing two games, helping foster birtherism in the Republican party while denouncing the President for trying to put it to an end.