Website says Obama attended anti-white Wright sermon; campaign says no

In a posting this evening, Newsmax.com reports that its correspondent witnessed Sen. Barack Obama attending one of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's anti-white sermons on July 22 and nodding his head in agreement with the black congregation.

The report on the conservative website directly contradicts the Democratic presidential candidate's recent statements that while he denounced the pastor's controversial anti-American and anti-white rhetoric, he had never heard such declarations himself in church or in private.

Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, immediately denied the Newsmax report, saying Obama was in Miami that day.  He referred to an item hastily posted on the Obama Fact Check website saying simply: "Fact: Obama did not attend services on July 22."

The lengthy Newsmax report by Ronald Kessler said its correspondent, Jim Davis, attended services on July 22, 2007, at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side and saw Obama in attendance.  Kessler's story states:

"In his sermon that day, Wright tore into America, referring to the 'United States of White America' and lacing his sermon with expletives as Obama listened.  Hearing Wright’s attacks on his own country, Obama had the opportunity to walk out, but Davis said the senator sat in his pew and nodded in agreement."

(UPDATE: On Monday the Newsmax site issued a statement with the Kessler story that it stands by the account, despite campaign denials that Obama was in church that day. It points out that he could have attended some services and still traveled to Miami that day and that its correspondent attended several July services and saw the senator and his Secret Service detail witness the service as described in the article. It says Obama spokesmen declined several opportunities to comment before publication of its initial report on the sermon.)

The Sunday night Kessler story links to Davis' original account of the ...

July 22 service, which was posted on the Newsmax website on Aug. 9, 2007, and headlined: "Obama's Church: Cauldron of Division." In it, Davis describes being initially blocked from entering the church, how few whites (except for Obama's Secret Service detail) were among the 2,500 people in attendance and how skilled an orator the Rev. Wright was.

He describes the now-familiar anti-white rhetoric, the excitement of the congregation, Obama's two decades of close ties to Wright and how another congregation member and a prominent Obama supporter, Oprah Winfrey, had joined the church in 1984 but withdrew her membership some years ago allegedly over Wright's preachings.

It's an extremely touchy issue for the Illinois senator's campaign.  The minister coached and counseled Obama during his early community organizing days, and one of his sermon titles led to the title of Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope."  Wright married Barack and Michelle Obama and baptized both of their daughters.

In a Sunday conference call, Obama campaign manager David Axelrod admitted that the campaign recognized Wright as a potential problem more than a year ago and had disinvited the pastor from giving the invocation at the announcement of Obama's presidential candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007, in Springfield, Ill.

On Friday, as the issue and videos of Wright's statements flamed across the Internet and his campaign realized the scope of the controversy, Obama posted a statement on HuffingtonPost.com denouncing Wright's "inflammatory and appalling remarks."

The senator added: "I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."

Later in his statement Obama added: "The sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.

"The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign."

Kessler's story tonight, headlined "Obama Attended Hate America Sermon," also said: "If Obama’s claims are true that he was completely unaware that Wright’s trademark preaching style at the Trinity United Church of Christ has targeted 'white' America and Israel, he would have been one of the few people in Chicago to be so uninformed. Wright’s reputation for spewing hate is well known."

Newsmax.com, which also publishes the magazine Newsmax, was founded in 1998 by Christopher Ruddy, a former journalist who describes the Florida operation as "the leading independent online news site with a conservative perspective."  Its early investors reportedly included the family of the late CIA Director William Casey and Richard Mellon Scaife, a well-known conservative publisher in Pittsburgh.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[SGV]

By the way, is anything that the pastor said about rampant, historical racism in the U.S. not true?

[Maritza]

Jordan Clinton,

Please check your times. The first service is at 7:30am CST which means 8:30am Eastern time. I am Black and I attend an African-American church. Service is typically 2 hours. That means that Chuch ended at 10:30am.

Again the time constraints make this story FALSE folks. Also, Obama can EASILY dispute this story with witnesses who were at the La Raza conference including Hillary Clinton who was there as well as flight records.

FALSE story!!!

[David kauffman]

Here the proof that Obama is lying when he said he knew nothing of Wright's anti-American postures. Mr. Donahue (Pres. Catholic Leauge) sent a letter to Obama warning him of such declarations. Check: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977285439

The letter said: "Wright has a record of giving racially inflammatory sermons and has even said that Zionism has an element of 'white racism.' He also blamed the attacks of 9/11 on American foreign policy."

If the blind Obamanites want to get technica, this letter is undeniable proof that Obama knew of this.

[FRedStates]

There are great Jeremiah Wright bumperstickers now available at FRedStates.com.

If Obama knew this minister for 2 decades but didn't know about the hate he spews... I'm not sure I want somebody that clueless in the White House. That''s about as bad as Hillary saying she was unaware Bill was having an affair. Do you want people this out of touch running the country?

[Olivia]

Whether obama was there that day or not is not as much important as his lousy excuse.

Obama is trying to minimize his relationship and political influence on him: he has already repeated many times that Wright is an "old uncle" who is now "retired." However, he acknowledged Wright as his spiritual advisor and Wright's sermon is not a senil lapsus linguis. It is not an accident. What it is is aged and rationalized bigotry. It is hard to believe he never heard him say such things in 20 years of close relationship.

What says tons for his lack of judgment is having allowed his family and himself to be exposed for 20 years to Wright's bigotry. Moreover, Obama seems to have funnel that hate-sheding pulpit with generous contributions.

Farrakhan and Wright are the two sides of the same coin. There is no place for these people in an authentic Christian churh nor in any progressive discourse.

[Daniel Yakoubian]

I wish I could vote for Rev. Wright, a man who is willing to speak his mind, speak the truth, regardless of what is politically correct. He hates America because he won't stand for the what truly is horrible about our government and our country? This is the "tough love" that our our own "evil empire" needs. Pardon me, but doesn't the press read the press? Didn't we invade Iraq and destroy the country based on lies? Aren't we the world's largest arms supplier? Didn't we kill 3 million Viet Namese? Didn't we drop napalm on Viet Nam? Didn't we decimate our own natives and break so many treaties we made with them? Wasn't this country built on slavery? Don't our corporations steal, lie, pollute, and buy government favors? Why don't we have affordable health care? Why haven't the descendents of slaves received reparations? Why is this country plagued by legal and illegal drugs? Why are we killing each other in schools and the workplace? Why are we destroying the environment and people's health in the name of obscene profits? Don't we need to own up to this stuff?

If you are going to condemn Rev. Wright, we need to demonize Martin Luther King Jr. as well. Please read his speech "Beyond Vietnam" and tell me it is not more "America Hating" than Rev. Wright's sermons. The major difference being that virtually everything that MLK had to say about the pitiful state of this nation has only gotten much, much worse since his time.

We don't need apologists - we need reality, and Rev. Wright certainly has more of a grip on it that than those that are attacking him.

[Dr. Dave]

For ALL the Obama & Wright apologists....

Nobody put words in Wright's mouth. Nobody did a fake voice-over. Wright’s white America didn't conspire and drug him and hypnotize him before his sermons.

Honestly, when I heard his words I felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. This guy is keeping his folks down with sick, conspiracy; hate filled theories just like Farrakhan. Furthermore, only by going to HIS church and paying attention to HIS sick "charismatic" rantings can "believers” find out the TRUTH. This ABSOLUTELY reflects on the sort of person Obama IS. It's no wonder Barak wants to create "unity". Look at the world view of his divisive pastor who preaches DIS-unity. Wright's a real life black Archie Bunker and a throwback to ancient times. No wonder Obama wants "change!".

Suggestion: Obama, You want "unity & change? Start at home and end the racism endemic in your provincial community before venturing out into America and preaching to us about "hope” based on false & empty promises. You've turned out to be just another hack black "leader"; The kind that constantly evoke the name of MLK and try to ride his coat tails. But MLK, a true American hero & PATRIOT would collapse in despair if he had to listen through a divisive, racist, hate filled sermon by the likes of Wright.

Personally...I'm nauseous. The last thing I would want to hear on a Sunday morning is some sick clown dancing on a stage and “charismatically” telling me why we deserved 9/11. But the first thing Obama & his co-worshippers wanted to do on a Sunday was go see THIS guy.

[Jerry Martinez]

Whether this NewsMax story is true or not, by Obama own admission he attended the church for 20 years, and refuses to this day leave the congregation of hate and division. We know that for sure. I tend to believe this story in this age of airplanes

Obama election would be a big step backwards for race relation. The black supremacist have Obama ear and heart, and I as a Latino know that race relations will go backwards and separate us into are own camp. Seem like a lot of super liberal whites know this subconsciously because when we are all separated into our own communities there is a bit of safety in the system of segregation. Of course it was the Democrats who were the segregationist in the old south.

[Secret Service]

Obama's good to go. He is his own man and WE ALL KNOW what he's about. He's not a racist, he has a white mother and his WHOLE CAMPAIGN has been bringing people together and talking about doin the same.

He's not a BLACK president or a closet muslim or any of these other obscure identities Clinton and the republicans are trying to box him into. He's the better presidential candidate. NOTHING'S CHANGED THERE!

anyone thinking it has needs to really consider what it is they are actually voting for and on.

Obama is a STAUNCH UNIFER for a reason - he knows angry divisive approaches neither work nor have a place within a progressive movement.

[star child]

Ok, this is kind of ridiculous... what is the point? Are we saying that Obama is a racist? Or maybe just that he supports racists? One small problem with that theory... he's biracial.... you know mom is white, dad is black. So unless he has some really horrible psychological problems, that's pretty unlikely.
I'd happily vote for either Obama or Hillary, and after all this garbage, I'm leaning towards Obama.

[Windfall]

Now that a few of the Reverend Wright’s sermons have been made public, Barack Obama says that over the course of 20 years of attending church services and other functions together, he never once noticed that the man he calls his spiritual advisor was an America-hating racist.

There are only two possible explanations:

1. Obama is too naïve to be the leader of the free world.

2. Obama is a liar and an America-hating racist as well.

[Susanne Freeborn]

Good grief: Here is the agenda of National Council of La Raza for that day: http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/47386/

Sunday, July 22 11:00 a.m. LATINAS BRUNCH, Una Charla Con Hillary – Hall B
Welcome: Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL)
Speakers:

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Interview led by Monica Lozano, Publisher and CEO, La Opinión

1:30 p.m. SPECIAL FORUM: Foro Del Pueblo Con Sen. Obama – Room D128-129
Featured Speaker: Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
3:30 p.m. Town Hall: Innovative Public-Private Partnerships To Reduce Obesity Among Latinos, presented by the Office of Minority Health – Room B214-218
Moderator: Jackie Guerra, Comedienne/Actress/Author
Panelists:
Dr. Garth N. Graham M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services
Dra. Isabel Gomez-Bassols, Univision Radio
John Govea, JD, MPA, Senior Program Officer, Childhood Obesity Team, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

8:00 p.m. Noche de Concierto – Knight Concert Hall, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts
Featuring:

Luis Fonsi
Fanny Lu
Mariachi Campanas de America

............................................................................................

You ought to be EMBARRASSED to publish this on your website. How can we trust you if this is how you fact check?

(The item says the campaign says he was in Miami. The question would seem to be where else was he maybe that day? That's a fact too.)

[Kathryn]

I find it very funny that Obama first tried to distance himself from his Muslim heritage by saying he's part of this Trinity Church, and is now trying to distance himself from this church and the values it teaches. Hatred of white people and America are very evident in everything about his church, why doesn't Obama just admit it, clearly his supporters don't care.

[Jonathan]

It's embarassing that the LATimes lets you publish false accusations put out by biased hit-websites. The newsmax correspondent is clearly making an outright lie, yet some readers will come away believing that Obama is lying. I at least hope they make you publish a prominent retraction.

[Barzia]

TOO BAD. Obama was in Miami on July 22nd and did not attend the church. He spoke at the annual nclr convention. See his full speech here. Also the schedule of the convention on July 22nd. Also remember that there is 1 Hour difference between Miami and Chicago. So he could not even fly back and forth to attend both the church and the convention.
TOO BAD. THERE IS A VIDEO. SO PEOPLE CANNOT JUST LIE.

[Joan]

What's the problem with Obama being friends with Wright. Do we think that Obama is a racist, that he hates white people? That seems extremely unlikely, given his upbringing by his white mother and grandparents. If the question is not about Obama's opinions than what is the point?

[hellokitty]

Present.

This seems to be a word that will dog Obama. He used present more than 100 times as a way to carefully navigate not having to take a bold stance on a bill that might later haunt his political career and carefully groomed image, even if it was being groomed by uncle Rev.

Present. Because that is exactly what many Americans believe he was over the course of 20 years listening to his hate-mongering Pastor that he so idolizes.

[James]

Hello, Who cares if Obama was there or not. Don't you think black folk have every right to hate "rich white" people. Hello it was rich white people who enslaved black people. What have rich white people done for the common man, white or black? They just make themselve richer off the backs of poor labor folks. Why do you think rich white people want to let the illegal mexicans have immunity? So they can have a new set of slaves. Same game ,new skin color.

[Chris]

Very irresponsible "journalism."

[Josh]

I'm an Independent that normally votes Republican but was supporting Obama.

Obama has now lost my vote. (and my wifes vote)

Whether this story about him being at the sermon on July 22 is true or not…there is NO way he could not have known about the racist comments by pastor Wright.

My wife and I are upset right now. We thought we had found someone different...now we realize hes just another typical politician.

Repubs & Dems both suck. We are not voting this year....good luck to the rest of you.

:-/

[Cythia]

It's a shame the way the media is portraying his church based on edited 30 sec. sound clips. The media does not mention that it's an integrated church with a membership of 8000 Many of the attendees are some of the most influential people in Chicago. You can view the full context of the sermons here -

http://www.tucc.org/home.htm.

The sermons are beautiful and uplifting.

The media has obviously decided to conduct a high-tech lynching of Obama. They're scared sh****less of the fact that we're THIS CLOSE to having our first African American President. We CERTAINLY can't have THAT happen (sarcasm). The establishment has no choice now but to rub salt in his game.

BTW - What was the point of posting this blog entry if it was proven (according to your entry) to be FALSE.

GOBAMA..... Keep moving forward. We got your back.

[Jennifer H]

Unbelievable! I can't believe people have the nerve to say "the preacher" is right, or dismiss his rants and not think his tirade is racist?

This preacher is a hateful, ignorant racist. This "black trash", (oh, sorry, only "white trash" is acceptable today) bigot performed the marriage of Barak, and Michelle, "I'm finally proud of our country" Obama.

Obama is trying to distance himself from this guy because, to prove he's not a Muslim, he said he goes to this Christian church. Obama has been in his church for 20 years, this man is Obama's "spiritual advisor" Do you think this is the FIRST time this idiot, black racist has spewed his filthy racism? Obama stayed in his church because he likes this message or he would have left for a message more in line with his own.

Obama is his lackey, or is he Oprah's lackey, or is he Farrakhan’s lackey. Where did he get the money to outspend Hillary 5 to 1?

It's time to end this double standard of black racism and political correctness. This preacher is a hate-monger, and Obama is part of his ilk.

We brought 9/11 upon ourselves? What crimes did the people I saw jumping from the WTC commit? They simply showed up for work to support their loved ones.

God Damn America!!!???? Is anyone stupid enough to want his "spiritual student" as President?

My grandmother said, "The Devil often comes dressed as a gentleman".
Yes, and he's running for the White House, with racism and anti-Semitism, under his silk suit. Obama's veneer is starting to wear off.

In Iowa he was quoted "When America gets a cold, Black America gets pneumonia". He didn't say "poor" and include other races.

Any "white man oppressor" "European oppressors" or Anglo-American, or anyone with an ounce of goodness, won't support this black KKK, of which Obama is a long-standing member.

Anyone who votes for Obama is inviting disaster for themselves, their children and our country.

Once, there was a very charismatic man, who came out of nowhere, but who stirred the people for "change" and the promise of a new united, country, and of "what could be"; his name was Hitler.

[Bookwert]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

But we seem to be putting the candidates through our own home-grown American version. It's a little unfair, since we haven't yet drawn up a formal creed that we demand they adhere to. Let's do that now, so we can move forward to political issues, like health care and the war.

What's the most American of religions? I would have said Mormonism, but the Romney campaign pretty much disposed of that. Catholicism's out. Baptists sometimes plunge off the deep end, so to speak. No fundamentalists, free-thinkers, Quakers, Shakers or holy-rollers, please. How about a good, Godly New England white-church Congregationalism, or some innocuous form of Midwestern Protestantism, something with covered-dish suppers and not too much emphasis on God or the supernatural. A social -- but not, God forbid, not a socialist -- church. We would require, or course, that the candidate's minister never preach anything that might strike us as odd or disagreeable or offensive. And that the candidate be eager to slip out of his or her religion like an old raincoat the minute it becomes an election liability.

Isn't that the American way?

NOW is the time for a constitutional amendment, instituting a religious test for office holders.

[Tom]

Wright did not give a morning service as claimed by Newsmax

One the 22nd of July 2007
Anthony Burnette, Jr. gave the 7:30 am service
Otis B. Moss III gave the 11:00am service
Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. gave the 6:00pm service

http://www.tucc.org/store/index.cfm?action=catbrowse&catid=40

[Dave]

What's so depressing is that Obama has bent over backward to have an inclusive, non-racially polarizing campagn. It's probably a reality that some rhetoric like this will occur at inner-city churches, given the social realities, and, more importantly, the deeply felt history of those communities.

However, the fiery rhetoric aside, this is not a reprehensible church. I suggest all those tearing down Wright do some research and find out what actually goes on at Trinity church. Sure the guy may have said some dumb things. But he also has done some beautiful things.

But of course, that will be swift boated and all will have is the smear. Sometimes the MSM lurches up (and, a la fox news) just vomits a torrent of trivialities that we're engulfed in nonsense.

BTW, didn't anyone notice our financial system was melting down? Maybe we should be talking about that instead of a preacher from Chicago.