CHICAGO, IL March 14, 2012—During election season, stories of voter fraud are endemic. But the strange saga of conservative William J. Kelly’s case in
Kelly, who is involved in a hotly contested race to become ward committeeman and Chairman of the Chicago Republican Party and whose bid to reenergize the GOP position in the long time democratic enclave has earned the support of Republican media, politicians, and strategist Dick Morris, discovered that his opponent was circulating what appeared to be a “copy” of his Chicago voting record. The problem is that this particular voting record contained an unusual number of “Ds.” Of course, “D” stands for Democrat.
“With about thirty days before the Republican primary in
But if Kelly’s a Democrat, he’s certainly not a very good one. And hence, one more investigation into
Kelly is known for his reporting on mainstream media bias.
In 2011, he questioned U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin at a press conference and was angrily confronted by members of the
Kelly has since earned a reputation in conservative media circles for his work at the American Spectator, Breitbart.com and here at the Communities @Washington Times.
In 2010, Kelly ran statewide as a Republican for
The
Kelly says that he found out about the funny business to his record after his political opponent emailed the “certified copy” to a fellow conservative blogger back in February. However, in order to receive a “certified copy” of a voting record, it is necessary to file a FOIA request with the Chicago Board of Elections.
The problem is, according to Kelly’s attorney, no record of that FOIA request being made actually exists. If Kelly’s opponent never actually submitted a FOIA request for his certified voting record, what was his opponent circulating? And how did he receive it?
Suspicious, Kelly contacted an election lawyer, sent a letter to the Chicago Board of Elections, and a request for some answers.
“In all four elections after 1995, I have always requested a Republican primary ballot and voted in all the Republican primaries, supporting members of my party,” stated Kelly in a letter to the Election Board.
Kelly says took a Democrat primary ballot in 1995—a one-time thing—for a very good reason: to oppose his longtime nemesis, Rep. Bobby Rush in the
Kelly says he fully expected the Chicago Board of Elections to drag its feet on a response. But he was surprised when, just a few days later, his attorney received a call and confirmation that the record being circulated was false.
However, that fact did not stop his opponent—one Tommy Smithburg—from sending out a Chicago-wide political mailer claiming Kelly voted Democrat five times.
Incidentally, Smithburg’s family is a contributor to Rahm Emanuel and gave almost $10,000 to Emanuel in his bid to become Chicago Mayor; at the same time, Kelly was working with Dick Morris to challenge Emanuel’s election.
Kelly says that he is “surprised but not shocked” by the situation. “This is
Kelly has since filed a cease and desist letter against his opponent for defamation. He says he is willing to settle the claims in exchange for the reduced sum of $250,000 for actual damage to his reputation or the equivalent spent in political advertising to correct the false statements made.
In the meantime, with just days before the
Conservative satirist and commentator William J. Kelly is also a contributor to Breitbart.com and edits the Tea Party Reports for the
Email questions to him at williamjkellyrebuild@gmail.com.
Find him on Facebook/Williamjpkelly
Read more of Bill Kelly’s Truth Squad in The Communities at the Washington Times
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