McCain Primary Opponent Hayworth: a Birther with a Twist

John McCain’s Republican opponent for his Arizona Senate seat, former right wing talk radio host J. D. Hayworth, has a new twist on the Birther theme — he says he’s concerned about President Obama’s citizenship because it’s an issue of possible identity theft.

In 2006, J. D. Hayworth made it into the “dishonorable mentions” section of a list of the 25 ‘most corrupt’ members of Congress.

“Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch)” is the second annual report from the non-profit legal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). An associated website, Beyond DeLay, offers both summary and detailed versions of CREW’s analysis of the transgressions of all 25.

A majority of those listed are Republicans, several of whom have been linked to the spreading Jack Abramoff and “Duke” Cunningham scandals. As well as those cited as being under investigation, the Top 20 includes such high-profile names as Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Representatives Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Doolittle (R-CA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Katherine Harris (R-FL), Richard Pombo (R-CA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), John Sweeney (R-NY), and Curt Weldon (R-PA). Representatives Chris Cannon (R-UT) and J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) are among the dishonorable mentions.