CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein sent an email to a handful of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” staffers last night regarding the coverage of the so-called Birthers and the validity of Obama’s eligibility.

In part, Klein writes, “It seems this story is dead — because anyone who still is not convinced doesn’t really have a legitimate beef.” Klein asked CNN researchers to dig into the question of why Obama couldn’t produce the original birth certificate. The researchers contacted the Hawaii Health Dept. and confirmed that paper documents were discarded in 2001 when the department went paperless. That reportedly includes Obama’s original birth certificate.

If Klein’s statement is true, then this official statement, dated October 31, 2008, from state health director Dr. Chiyome Fukino is false:

“Therefore, I as Director of Health for the State of Hawai‘i, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics who has statutory authority to oversee and maintain these type of vital records, have personally seen and verified that the Hawai‘i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.”

If what Klein says is true, Fukino is lying. If what Fukino says is true, Klein is lying. It’s one or the other, isn’t it?