WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that he believes President Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen and a Christian, but that it’s not up to him to convince people who are skeptical of the president’s birthplace and religion.
“I believe that the president is a citizen. I believe the president is a Christian. I’ll take him at his word,” said Boehner, R-Ohio, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Boehner spoke after viewing a video of a Republican focus group in Iowa in which a number of people indicated that they believed Obama was a Muslim.
“As speaker of the House, as a leader, do you not think it’s your responsibility to speak out against that kind of ignorance?” asked the host, David Gregory.
“It’s not my job to tell the American people what to think,” Boehner replied. “The American people have the right to think what they want to think.”
