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Is Executive Order 13489 Trump’s “Smoking Gun”?
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By J.M. Appleton
April 7, 2011

Almost on a daily basis now, there’s some type of statement made by potential 2012 Presidential candidate Donald Trump in regard to the eligibility of Barack Obama to be our U.S. President. Trump’s questioning is based on the on-going debate as to whether or not Obama is truly a “natural born U.S. citizen” as outlined by the Constitution…and whether or not Obama had ever legally satisfied the disclosure requirements that are in-place for all declaring candidates prior to the 2008 Presidential election.

“The Donald” has quite eloquently shared his feelings on the issue in various forums and is miffed that the mainstream media has demonized those seeking the truth about Obama’s eligibility by applying the “birther” moniker to them. Recently on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Trump proclaimed, “Frankly, anybody that gets labeled ‘birther’…which is a very derogatory term, the way the press uses it…is automatically considered not a very smart person.” The fact is, he doesn’t have a birth certificate, or he hasn’t shown it, and I’d love for him to show it.” In the same interview, Trump stated that “the grandmother in Kenya is on record saying he (Obama) was born in Kenya.” It seems to me that Trump is digging a bit deeper into the issue with every passing day.

Being that he looks to be on a mission to discredit Obama before officially announcing his Presidential candidacy, I expect that Trump will very soon make mention of what could very well be his proverbial “smoking gun” in proving Obama’s ineligibility. What I’m referring to here is “United States Federal Executive Order #13489” that was signed into existence on January 21, 2009...just a mere 24 hours after Obama took (and botched) the Presidential oath of office. Yes that’s right folks, only ONE day after becoming our 44th President, Obama made signing the Executive Order his first official order of business. For those of you that aren’t aware of what the order states, the following is the “Introduction and Section 1”, which pretty much sum-up its intent:

Regarding: Presidential Records

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to establish policies and procedures governing the assertion of executive privilege by incumbent and former Presidents in connection with the release of Presidential records by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pursuant to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

(a) "Archivist" refers to the Archivist of the United States or his designee.
(b) "NARA" refers to the National Archives and Records Administration.
(c) "Presidential Records Act" refers to the Presidential Records Act, 44 U.S.C. 2201-2207.
(d) "NARA regulations" refers to the NARA regulations implementing the Presidential Records Act, 36 C.F.R. Part 1270.
(e) "Presidential records" refers to those documentary materials maintained by NARA pursuant to the Presidential Records Act, including Vice Presidential records.
(f) "Former President" refers to the former President during whose term or terms of office particular Presidential records were created.
(g) A "substantial question of executive privilege" exists if NARA's disclosure of Presidential records might impair national security (including the conduct of foreign relations), law enforcement, or the deliberative processes of the executive branch.
(h) A "final court order" is a court order from which no appeal may be taken.

So there you have it, and for the sake of this topic it’s important to know that under the heading of “Presidential Records”, does fall the sub-title of “Personal Records.” Should this not then raise suspicion (at the very least) that Obama’s first act as President was to put in-place an uncontestable order that protects him from having to divulge any “personal records” that he decides not to publicly disclose? Of course it raises suspicion and WOULD…to any logically thinking human being that is. For the “birther”, it creates genuine doubt and in my opinion, rightfully so. I can tell you that this type of action, undertaken as part of a crime investigated by Law Enforcement, would certainly “raise eyebrows”, causing reasonable suspicion (warranting/justifying further investigation) and would perhaps even be permissible in court as circumstantial evidence…so if it’s enough for them, it’s enough for me.

I can envision Trump just waiting for the most opportune moment to bring the issue of Executive Order #13489 to light. When he does, the topic getting attention in national media forums will serve to enlighten a far greater number of Americans than were previously in the know, since the mainstream media all but ignored Obama’s signing the E.O. on 01/21/09...most likely seeing it as “of little consequence or importance” (the typical mainstream media cop-out).

Whether you do or you don’t see Donald Trump as being a viable 2012 Presidential candidate, it’s both encouraging and appreciated to see someone of national prominence stepping-up and taking on this issue head-on, and I believe that he sees himself as having little to nothing to lose in doing so (unlike already elected politicians, or those 100% certain of their making a run for office). If Trump is able to coerce Obama into providing the birth certificate in question, and if the results prove Obama to be a usurper, then Trump becomes a national hero amongst Republicans, Libertarians, Constitution Party members and Independents….almost making him a shoe-in as the Presidential nominee of one party or another. If his efforts do fail and Obama successfully continues to have his million dollar legal team hide what Executive Order 13489 is intended to hide, then if nothing else Trump has increased national awareness of the issue and you can pretty much bet that NO future Presidential candidate will ever get by again without producing the required pre-campaign documents (a requirement that Trump himself has already fulfilled).

Time will tell how this all plays out and I look forward everyday to hearing what Trump might have to say…because good, bad or otherwise his delivery is both entertaining and informative. Additionally, there’s always a soft-spot in my heart for men who aren’t afraid to speak-up when appropriate, ignoring what’s “P.C.” and damning the torpedoes as they move forward.

I now too have to wonder how Barack Obama is feeling with “The Donald” breathing down his neck and wouldn’t you just love to be a fly on the wall during one of Obama’s closed-door meetings with cabinet members, advisors, confidants and friends? Safe to say that there’s a few “sentence enhancers” being tossed about, and I’m sure that the hidden pack of Marlboro’s in Obama’s desk is losing its contents at a rate faster than ever before!

In light of these recent developments, and with more looming on the near horizon, I suggest that we all stay closely tuned to this escalating situation…because I’ve got a feeling that things are about to officially heat-up. When you’ve got people like Donald Trump making sparks fly already (so early in the 2012 election scene)…there’s no telling how high the subsequent flames are ultimately going to reach before all is said and done. And while there’s no dismissing how very important the “next” four years are going to be regarding the future viability of this nation, the here and now could very well determine how in retrospect we view and grade the four year Obama Presidency. Lastly and to provide just one more thought, if the efforts and prodding of Donald Trump do see fruition (and Obama’s removed from possible contention), will that be enough to see Trump elected our 45th President…and, will there be an ominously large asterisk next to Barack Obama’s name in our yet to be printed “U.S. and World History” books? Hmmm…

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