When WND, however, pressed Smith to offer any evidence of the document's validity – a birth certificate number, a photo of the embossed seal on the alleged document, anything – Smith balked.

"I'm going to have to meet with my attorney before we can go any further," Smith told WND in a phone interview. "I'd rather have a middle man go between WorldNetDaily and myself."

Smith did then authorize a public relations agent to speak on his behalf and hire an attorney, but after several unsuccessful attempts to get Smith to offer any proof of the document's authenticity, the agent has since withdrawn his representation, fearing that the alleged birth certificate sale may have merely been a money-grabbing fraud.

The agent, Sean Boyer, is a Pennsylvania businessman who contacted Smith through eBay. He told WND his goal was simply to help bring the alleged document into the light for possible verification.

WND negotiated with Boyer on how best to coax further information from Smith and worked behind the scenes to prepare processes for authenticating or disproving any document Smith might produce.

"The Obama birth certificate that I listed on eBay was not a hoax. I repeat, NOT A HOAX," Smith insisted.

When pressed to produce evidence of his claims, however, Smith told WND in an email, "I won't be bullied into posting a video. I won't adhere to any time deadline."

"I stated I was going to make a video and then go to WND and Joseph Farah, but I never gave a timeline for that," Smith told WND over the phone. "In retrospect, I shouldn't have mentioned that."

Smith's hesitancy to cooperate eventually cost him the support of his agent and lawyer, too.

"Smith has broken promise after promise to deliver on his claims," Boyer told WND.

"On Sunday, July 19, it had been five days without a response from Smith, after a number of attempts had been made to contact him by email and phone messages," Boyer said. "Smith may be stalling for time as he attempts to sell whatever he may have privately through contacts that he told me he was able to develop while advertizing on eBay. Consequently, [Smith's attorney] and I agreed to withdraw our representation of Smith, and he has been notified by email to that effect."