title:  Facing Tough Re-Election, Sheriff Joe Says He’s Still Investigating Obama’s Birth Certificate
text: Even though Donald Trump (sort of) dropped the  birther  issue, there s one pro-Trump surrogate who   in the tightest re-election fight of his life   is still pledging to continue his investigation into President Obama s birth certificate.Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was recently recommended for criminal court due to the continuation of racial profiling and perjury, told a group of Tea Party activists that he is certain Barack Obama s birth certificate is forged and will do everything he can to prove it: I m not going to give up, and we re looking into it. I don t know how it s going to turn out. I don t care where he s from. We are looking at a forged document. Period. I had nothing to do with Trump on the birth certificate. We did it on our own, because of you guys. The room of 200 or so activists were of course energized by Arpaio s pledge to unleash the  truth.  Before speaking to the crowd, Arpaio told reporters that it was the Tea Party activists in Maricopa County that got him  stuck  with the birther issue after World Net Daily, a right-wing publication known for conspiracy theories, had a reporter speak to another group, and subsequently gathered almost 250 signatures demanding Arpaio investigate. He complied, launching his investigation last week.According to Arizona Central:Mike Zullo, the lead investigator on the case and commander of Arpaio s Cold Case Posse, told the crowd that he knew Trump s statement was a  punch in the gut, because it was unexpected. Zullo said he thought Trump s statement was  strategic. It s not going to deter us,  Zullo said.  It s not going to stop us. I am closer than ever. Zullo also claims that a nurse who worked at the hospital where President Obama was born, the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, denies that such a birth ever happened.Well there you have it. Not only are Maricopa County residents footing the bill for Arpaio s legal woes (yet again), they are now paying for another  investigation  into President Obama s birth certificate. Is this what Republicans mean by  fiscal responsibility? In Maricopa County, there are almost 4.2 million taxpaying citizens. And now they are paying their Sheriff s office their tax dollars to  investigate  some fringe conspiracy supported by 250 activists. Think about that.Maybe that s why Arpaio is losing his re-election bid to a Democrat, Paul Penzone, and it might also explain why his poll numbers are plummeting.Good thing he s focusing on the issues that matter.Featured image via Ralph Froso/Getty Images