Formal court martial charges have been brought against Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, the Army doctor who believes President Obama may not be a natural born citizen, for failing to follow orders, the military said today.
Lakin was charged Thursday “with one specification of a violation of Article 87, Missing Movement and four specifications of a violation of Article 92 (three specifications of Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, and one Specification of Dereliction of Duty),” said Chuck Dasey, spokesman at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where Lakin is assigned.
The court martial is likely to raise the prominence of what is already a cause célèbre among Birther adherents.
Late last month, Lakin released a YouTube video in which he explained that he would not report for a second tour in Afghanistan until Obama proves he is a citizen. A couple of weeks later, the Army announced he was under investigation.
In a press release issued today by the American Patriot Foundation, which is raising money for Lakin’s defense, he waxed heroic:
“I invited my court martial, and today I stand ready to answer these charges. I was prepared to deploy if only the President would authorize the release of the proof of his eligibility. He refused, and now the court will determine the issue, and my fate. The constitution matters. The truth matters,” he said.
Lakin and his attorney, Paul Jensen, have been making the rounds on right-wing radio shows in recent days. On the G. Gordon Liddy show last week, Jensen hinted that he would try to use discovery to compel Obama to produce a birth certificate.
You can read the charging document, which was released by the American Patriot Foundation, here.
Here’s the full statement from Dasey on the process that will now unfold:
On Thursday, April 22, the Medical Center Brigade Headquarters Company
Commander preferred charges against LTC Terrence Lakin pursuant to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. LTC Lakin was charged with one specification of a violation of Article 87, Missing Movement and four specifications of a violation of Article 92 (three specifications of Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, and one Specification of Dereliction of Duty).Following the preferral of charges, and service of the charges on LTC Lakin, the Medical Center Brigade Headquarters Company Commander forwarded the charges to the Acting Medical Center Brigade Commander with a recommendation to dispose of the charges at a General Court-Martial. The Acting Medical Center Brigade Commander, in her capacity as the Summary Court Convening Authority, directed the appointment of an Article 32, UCMJ pre-trial investigation to inquire into the truth of the matters set forth in the charges and to secure information to determine what disposition should be made of the case in the interest of justice and discipline.
The date for the Article 32 investigation has not been set. Upon receipt of appointment orders, The Article 32 Investigating officer will establish a hearing date.
