President Obama stood Friday with the Rev. Al Sharpton and accused Republicans of trying to keep millions of Americans from voting, in a fiery speech days after new revelations about Sharpton's past as an FBI informant.
"The right to vote is threatened today in a way that it has not been since the Voting Rights Act became law nearly five decades ago," Obama told the annual convention of Sharpton's National Action Network in Manhattan.
Obama's appearance represented a presidential seal of approval of Sharpton's role as a civil rights activist, amid the new revelations about how Sharpton used a wire to record mobsters for the feds in the 1980s.
The Smoking Gun website said Sharpton cooperated with the FBI after being caught on tape with a drug kingpin discussing cocaine deals.
Sharpton says he decided to help the FBI after being threatened by mobsters. He claims the tape of the alleged cocaine deal is evidence of a sting that went awry.
In his 25-minute address, the President steered clear of the disclosures as he plunged into the fierce debate over voting access in an election year where the Democrats' control of the Senate is at stake.
"This recent effort to restrict the vote has not been led by both parties," Obama said, speaking to 1,600 people at the Sheraton ballroom in Midtown Manhattan.
"It's been led by the Republican Party …. If your strategy depends on having fewer people showing up to vote, that's not a sign of strength. That's a sign of weakness. And not only is ultimately bad politics, ultimately it is bad for the country."
He said it was undemocratic to force Americans to produce an ID such as a passport to vote.
"About 60% of Americans don't have a passport. Just because you don't have the money to travel abroad doesn't mean you shouldn't vote at home.
"Just to be clear I know where my birth certificate is," he joked. "I think it's still up on a website somewhere. Do you remember that?" he added, referring to his release of the certificate to prove he was born in the U.S. and thus was eligible to be President.
The President made a point of crediting Mayor de Blasio for his work to enact universal prekindergarten.
He also mentioned that "members of Congress" were present — but he did not name-check Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan), who has argued during his tough primary race this year that Obama needs his help to enact his agenda.
Rangel was spotted leaving the ballroom through the opposite door as the President.
De Blasio and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the convention Wednesday.
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