It would appear that the President’s brother Malik Obama is either a bald-faced profiteer or very hard up for cash. He apparently has two letters from his brother Barack – on White House stationary – that he is selling for $15,000 a piece.
Via New York Post:
Malik is selling the two letters on White House-headed note paper, which both say, “Thanks for your prayers and support” and are signed “B.O.” They’re for sale through US collector Gary Zimet’s Momentsintime.com. Zimet told us, “I wrote to Malik and didn’t know if I would get a response. I was astonished when I did. I sent a letter to a post office box in Kenya. I asked him if he had any letters from his brother. I didn’t expect to hear from him ever, but he wrote back and said, ‘I have two letters.’ These letters show great interest on the president’s part in his family, they are priced at $15,000 each.
The Post also dropped a bit of sarcasm into the article:
Malik and Barack were best men at each other’s weddings, but Malik is reported to have 12 wives, so it’s uncertain if the president made it to every wedding.
When it comes to Malik’s penchant for financial opportunism, this is one of at least three incidents. First, consider an article by Joshua Hammer that appeared in the Smithsonian magazine. Hammer wrote about his experience while in Kogelo. He was there to do a feature on ‘Obama’s Kenya’ and relayed what happened when he attempted to interview Malik:
Born Roy Obama in 1958, he is the president’s half-brother and the oldest son of Barack Obama Sr., who had eight children with four wives. He has invested a large sum in the soon-to-open Barack H. Obama Recreation Center and Rest Area in Nyang’oma Kogelo. Obama has also developed a reputation as something of an operator. When, en route to Nyang’oma Kogelo, I inquired about the possibility of an interview, he texted back: “My schedule is brutal but I might/could squeeze you in for about thirty minutes if I can get $1,500 for my trouble.” I politely declined.
Then, of course, we have the expedited / retroactive tax-exempt status Malik’s foundation received from the IRS and Lois Lerner.
May of 2011: Malik applies for 501(c)(3) and gets it in less than one month.
May of 2012: Malik attempts to get $1500 from a writer.
May of 2013: Malik selling two letters signed by his brother on White House stationary
Does Malik owe money to someone that collects about this time every year?