Many of you may know I have played a part in the unraveling of the fake Tea Party so they would not appear on the ballot in November. Fraud does not sit well, and after Chetly Zarko’s original work on the issue prior to his death, I felt it was worth following through with whatever investigations were needed. My discovery of a prominent Democrat’s involvement became the smoking gun discovery, peaking the interest of the news outlets which had till then given short shrift to the developing story.
As a follow up and coincidentally, much of the fraud happened in Oakland county, by Democrats, and was discovered by the Oakland county Clerk’s office run by Michigan Secretary of State candidate Ruth Johnson. Johnson’s office discovered irregularities after being contacted by a candidate who was unaware he was running on “the Tea Party” slate.
And as the story develops.. there may be criminal implications.
Ruth Johnson applauded the unanimous decision of the Oakland County Circuit Court bench to pursue a grand jury investigation into the apparent fraudulent activities of individuals in the creation of a fake political party intended to deceive voters.
Ruth Johnson, the Oakland County Clerk and Republican nominee for Secretary of State, uncovered this growing scandal when she received evidence of a candidate filing for the November ballot was the result of a likely fraud. That candidate, Aaron Tyler, has sworn to the fact he did not file to run for office and did not sign any of the paperwork filed under his name.
To improve the process and create greater accountability on a statewide basis, Johnson is proposing the creation of an election crimes unit that would include state and local law enforcement, prosecutors and election officials. Said Johnson:
“This new unit will send a serious message that election crimes in Michigan are a danger to our democracy and that a coordinated effort will be mounted to quickly pursue those who break the law. So far in this case I can list eight different government agencies that have some role in the investigation in question. We need to pool those resources, streamline the process and empower experts to bring out the truth before voters cast their ballots. “
As has been widely reported in the media this was not an isolated case of deception but likely part of a larger plan which includes false candidates for many offices at both the state and local level. Michael McGuiness, who served as Director of Operations for the Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State campaign, and Jason H. Bauer have resigned their positions within the Oakland County Democratic Party in the wake of these revelations. Both Mr. McGuiness and Mr. Bauer have been shown to be directly connected to many of the filings in question in media accounts.
Johnson testified before the Michigan State Board of Canvassers which rejected the fake political party known as “The Tea Party”. The Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court have since upheld that decision.
More as it happens.
