Has Obama Committed Felonies in Conspiracy with Mass. Governor to Hide His Aunt?!

Written with contributions from J.D. Anderson. See his more detailed discussion on this at his blog, Centrist Net.

Barack Obama’s aunt is in the United States despite a judges deportation order back in 1995. More importantly, we now know that Barack Obama has conspired with the Governor of Massachusetts to illegally hide her in his state, to illegally house her in public housing, and to even illegally employ her by the state. Each of these involve likely violations of federal law.

It is a felony to conspire, aid, and abet a person under deportation order to remain in the U.S. (See section 8 U.S.C.A. 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) ["conceal, harbor, shield from detection"] and (v) [conspiracy, aid, abet]).

The details of this provide for at least five years’ incarceration. In the past we’ve seen presidential cabinet nominees withdraw their nominations because they hired illegal maids, babysitters, and contractors. This goes way beyond that. If, as American Spectator alleges, that Obama, his campaign staff, David Axelrod, his company, and the Governor of Massachusetts did conspire, aid, and abet to hide, house, and employ Obama’s aunt, this tops anything previously facing a prominent presidential appointee, much less, as in Obama’s case, a presidential candidate.

What’s Going On?

As I wrote in I Did Not Know, I Did Not Hear, I Did Not See—Barack Obama:

[Obama would like everyone to believe] he did not know that his aunt’s asylum claim was denied and that she was ordered deported, did not know that she was in the country for the past four years illegally in defiance of that deportation order, did not know that she was living illegally in Boston public housing, and did not know that she had contributed several hundred dollars to his campaign. Further, it has been recently noted that he also did not know that his Kenya-residing grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama, was living in squalor. On top of this incredulous set of circumstances, Obama’s nutroots gangs are pushing the talking point that this is all a smear, based on data that no one should know about.

Yeah, right. If there is no other defining character trait fitting for Barack Obama it is that he is a pathological liar always ready with an “I did not know, I did not hear, and I did not see.” In almost every case that Obama has used this defense it has eventually been proven a lie.

And proven the lie is exactly right.

The American Spectator wrote Monday:

Senior aides to Sen. Barack Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick were aware that Obama’s aunt, Zeituni Onyango, was living in the United States illegally and in a South Boston public-housing project, and were monitoring her at the request of senior Obama campaign officials, according to a current employee for Obama’s key political consulting firm, AKP&D Message and Media.

If he squeezes out a win tomorrow, would this be grounds to impeach him come January?

Impeachment is a political decision, criminal action is likely far simpler. As J.G. Anderson writes in his blog, Centrist Net (and his full article is a must read for its detailed discussion on the topic):

[A]ccording to the two sources quoted by American Spectator, the Obama campaign was well aware of Auntie Z’s immigration status and presence in America in early 2007. Furthermore, if true, the Obama’s campaign used Axelrod’s client and Obama’s ally, Patrick, to keep watch over Auntie Z until after the election. The allegations of the two sources is confirmed in part by Auntie Z’s quoted response to the British press before they broke the story:

“I can’t talk about it, I just pray for him, that’s all,” she said, adding: “After the 4th, I can talk to anyone.”

It is well within the realm of possibility that Auntie Z would have only known to refuse comment if she was told to say that, likely by the Obama campaign. The two sources, Obama’s political consultant’s employee and the Obama campaign media aide, bolster this likely occurrence. The importance to tomorrow’s election becomes whether or not such agreement between the Obama campaign and Patrick to “monitor” Auntie Z until the election is a violation of federal immigration laws, namely 8 U.S.C.A. 1324(a)(1)(a)(iii) and (v), which prohibit as a felony:

(a) Criminal Penalties
(1)(a) Any person who…
(iii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation;…
(v)(I) engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts, or

(II) aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts,

If the Obama campaign had knowledge of Auntie Z’s immigration status in early 2007, and then Axelrod worked with Patrick to suppress any uncovering of such status since then, there is an arguable violation of the statute above as such actions would each constitute an individual act which “conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien”, as spelled out in (iii) in the statute above. Any Obama campaign employees or Patrick staffers could be liable for conspiracy to commit violations of the Section 1324 and aiding and abetting violations of Section 1324 under subsection (v).

A review of case law regarding this matter tends to support the position that the Obama campaign’s activities, in conjunction with Mass. Governor Patrick, could have violated Section 1324. Indeed, the entire purpose of Axelrod’s alleged contacts with Patrick regarding Auntie Z was to suppress the public disclosure of Auntie Z’s illegal alien status and the lawful, immediate deportation under the 2004 Order. If true, the statements quoted in the American Spectator make out a prima facia case for a criminal indictment under Section 1324.

Senator Barack Obama, Governor Devel Patrick, and David Axelrod’s apparent conspiratorial actions to hide, house, and employ Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango and by their reported action to aid and abet her defiance of a deportation order is outrageous and scandalous. If facts are as it appears, what explanation can they offer for their disrespect of our nation’s laws?

For Obama—presidential candidate, sitting U.S. president, and until recently a practicing attorney—is this the actions of a person worthy of our vote? I think not. Instead, this simply confirms Obama’s arrogance to say and do anything.