Deep into President Obama’s first term, and entering the general election season, a question still apparently dogs local politicians: Is Obama a Muslim?
In St. Louis, Missouri, this week, an aide to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence intended to send reporters a media alert for a charity event her candidate was appearing at. But instead, Matuschka Lindo Briggs sent reporters a media strategy memo she prepared in case Spence was ever asked whether the president is a Muslim.
Here is her suggested response, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“This is not an issue that I felt was pertinent to my candidacy for governor and expressed those sentiments. However, if the media insists that this is a critical issue that must be addressed, I will be clear. President Obama says he is a Christian, and I take him at his word.”
The memo might have come in handy a little earlier. Asked by the St. Louis American last week whether he believes President Obama is a Muslim, Spence reportedly answered, “I don’t know.”
Briggs did not immediately respond to TPM’s requests for comment, but she told the Post-Dispatch that the remarks reflect “Dave’s point of view,” and said the attachment accident was a result of “multitasking to the extreme.”
David Taintor
David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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