Edward Klein, a right-wing author who has published books in the past that made outrageous and thoroughly debunked claims about Democratic politicians, is at it again with a new book—called The Amateur—that targets President Obama.
Among the book’s more questionable claims is an anecdote in which Klein quotes Rev. Jeremiah Wright accusing the Obama campaign of trying to bribe him to remain silent during the 2008 campaign. The book also goes after Michelle Obama, saying she is jealous and suspicious of the president around other women, she was wary of his relationship with Oprah Winfrey and she didn’t want Oprah coming to the White House because Michelle hates fat people.
This is the same Edward Klein whose 2005 book about Hillary Clinton, The Truth About Hillary, insinuated that she was a closeted lesbian who conceived Chelsea Clinton after she was raped by Bill. He also co-authored a book with a well-known “birther,” John LeBoutillier—who has also accused President Obama of being involved in several murders—that implied Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim. He describes that self-published book, The Obama Identity: A Novel (Or Is It?), as a novel based on truth.
Most of the mainstream media—aside from conservative outlets like The New York Post—has ignored this latest book, The Amateur, because of the outrageousness of the claims Klein makes. For instance, Klein’s book would have us believe that the notoriously private and politically astute Rev. Wright met with Klein, a well-known white literary assassin of liberal politicians, and told him the details of a secret meeting with Obama during which Wright supposedly wondered if the future president was wearing a wire as he tried to get Wright to keep quiet. The book claims this happened around the time of the Iowa primary, which occurs in January, although the Wright story didn’t hit the mainstream media until March—and Wright, who had already retired from Trinity United Church of Christ, was out of the country during most of the story’s height.
