CNN's Jon Klein

Directly contradicting CNN chief Jon Klein – who ordered host Lou Dobbs to quit discussing President Obama's birth certificate – the Hawaii Department of Health affirmed that no paper birth certificates were destroyed when the department moved to electronic record-keeping.

"I am not aware of any birth certificate records that have been destroyed by the department," Janice Okubo, public information officer for the Hawaii DOH, told WND. "When the department went electronic in 2001, vital records, whether in paper form or any other form, [were] maintained. We don't destroy records."

Okubo affirmed that beginning in 2001, all vital records, including birth records, moved to electronic formats.

"Any records that we had in paper or any other form before 2001 are still in file within the department," she insisted. "We have not destroyed any vital statistics records that we have."

Last Thursday, Klein, CNN's U.S. president, told staffers of "Lou Dobbs Tonight" the issue of Obama's birth certificate and his eligibility to be president is a "dead" story.

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According to MediaBistro.com, Klein wrote in an e-mail that CNN researchers found Hawaiian records were discarded in 2001 when the state's records system went electronic. Therefore, Klein said, Obama's original long-form birth certificate no longer exists. A computer-generated abbreviated version that has been promoted on the Internet is the official record, he said.

"It seems to definitively answer the question," Klein wrote. "Since the show's mission is for Lou to be the explainer and enlightener, he should be sure to cite this during your segment tonite. And then it seems this story is dead – because anyone who still is not convinced doesn't really have a legitimate beef."

(Story continues below)

Hawaii's Okubu refused to say whether the DOH has Obama's original long-form birth certificate, explaining state law prohibited her from commenting on the birth records of any specific person.

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Okubu's refusal to comment on the status of Obama's long-form birth certificate seemed to contradict an Oct. 31, 2008, letter by Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of health for the state of Hawaii. Fukino claimed she personally saw and could verify that Hawaii had Obama's original long-form birth certificate on file.

But both Okubu and Fukino are now on the record contradicting CNN's claim that Hawaii had destroyed Obama's long-form birth certificate when the health department went electronic in 2001.

Lou Dobbs

The White House has refused to acknowledge repeated requests from WND that Obama authorize the Hawaii DOH to release all his birth records, including his original long-form birth certificate.

WND also has reported Obama has not released his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and his adoption records.

WND also has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a "natural born citizen." The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

In addition, the question over Obama's eligibility is being raised on billboards nationwide.

The billboard campaign follows an ongoing petition campaign launched several months ago by WND Editor and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Farah.

Send a contribution to support the national billboard campaign that asks a simple question: "Where's the birth certificate?"

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Get the most comprehensive special report ever produced on the Obama eligibility issue.

Previous stories:

Gibbs: 10,000 more important issues than eligibility

White House stonewalling on 'birth letter'

AOL poll: 82% want Obama to release it

'Shut up Lou Dobbs' campaign hits stride

Hawaiian newspapers don't prove birthplace

Mr. President, we have a problem

'Birth hospital': Letter for real

Lib talker, Lou Dobbs now asking eligibility questions

'Begone!' Georgia judge orders fired reservist

Pentagon orders soldier fired for challenging prez

Bombshell: Orders revoked for soldier challenging prez

Now White House joins 'birth hospital' cover-up

Soldier won't serve without proof Obama eligible

Wikipedia says Obama born in Kenya

Just who delivered baby Barack Obama?

Obama's 'birth hospital' in astonishing cover-up

New reports cite Obama's African 'home'

Obama's birth letter: Is this thing for real?

U.S. hospitals 'wouldn't have to disclose Hitler'

News sites swap Obama's birthplace like magic

Obama birth mystery: More than 1 hospital

Hospital won't back Obama birth claim

THE FULL STORY: See listing of more than 200 exclusive WND reports on the eligibility issue