ICYMI: Indiana Democrat operatives convicted of 2008 presidential primary ballot petition fraud

Via Fox NewsΒ (hat tip):

A jury in South Bend, Indiana has found that fraud put President Obama and Hillary Clinton on the presidential primary ballot in Indiana in the 2008 election. Two Democratic political operatives were convicted Thursday night in the illegal scheme after only three hours of deliberations. They were found guilty on all counts.

Former longtime St. Joseph County Democratic party Chairman Butch Morgan Jr. Β was found guilty ofΒ felony conspiracy counts to commit petition fraud and forgery, and former county Board of Elections worker Dustin Blythe was found guilty of felony forgery counts and falsely making a petition, after being accused of fakingΒ petitions that enabled Obama, then an Illinois Senator, to get on the presidential primary ballot for his first run for the White House.

Morgan was accused of being the mastermind behind the plot.

According to testimony from two former Board of Election officials who pled guilty, Morgan orderedΒ Democratic officials and workers to fake the names and signatures that Obama and Clinton needed to qualify for the presidential race. Blythe, then a Board of Elections employee and Democratic Party volunteer, was accused of forging multiple pages of the Obama petitions.

“I think this helped uphold the integrity of the electoral system,” the prosecutor, Stan Levco told reporters.

β€œTheir verdict of guilt is not a verdict against Democrats, but for honest and fair elections,” he said.

The scheme was hatched in January of 2008, according to affidavits from investigators who cite former Board of Registration worker Lucas Burkett, who told them he was in on the plan at first, but then became uneasy and quit. He waited three years before telling authorities about it, but if revelations about any forgeries were raised during the election, the petitions could have been challenged during the contest. A candidate who did not qualify with enough legitimate signatures at the time, could have been bounced from the ballot.

The case raise questions about whether in 2008, then candidate Obama actually submitted enough legitimate signatures to have legally qualified for the primary ballot.

β€œI think had they been challenged successfully, he probably would not have been on the ballot,” Levco told Fox News.

Repeat after me as I channel delusional Democrats nationwide: “There is no such thing as [Democrat] election fraud, there is no such thing as [Democrat]Β election fraud, there is no such thing as …” o=> l-)

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