Original sentence: In mid-2009, Dobbs was  criticized for giving air time to Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories that claim Barack Obama was not born in the United States, and giving credence to the claims,  even though CNN itself considered it a "discredited rumor"
Edited sentence: In mid-2009, Dobbs was  criticized for giving air time to Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories that claim Barack Obama was not born in the United States, even though CNN itself considered it a "discredited rumor"