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Virginia Attorney General Confirms Investigation Of Newt Gingrich Ballot Petition

by Tommy Christopher | 11:34 am, January 31st, 2012

» 30 comments

About a month ago, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told supporters that his failure to get on the Virginia Republican primary ballot was the result of what he called “fraud” by one of his campaign’s signature collectors, who turned in 1,500 bogus signatures. Now, progressive blogger and broadcaster Brad Friedman is reporting that the Virginia Attorney General’s office and the State board of Elections have confirmed that they are investigating the incident.

In a 2009 op-ed, the former speaker excoriated the “enablers” of ACORN‘s “long history of engaging in voter fraud,” but when he explained to supporters, in December, that his own campaign had turned in 1,500 fraudulent signatures, he characterized the incident as “fraud,” but also as “a mistake.”

Gingrich may be the forgiving sort when it comes to his own campaign, but Virginia election officials are, apparently, not so charitable. From The Brad Blog:

Late last week, SBE Deputy Secretary Justin Riemer confirmed to The BRAD BLOG both the referral to the AG’s office as well as the fact that an investigation into the ballot petition fraud was officially being carried out by the AG.

“This issue has been referred to the State AG by the State Board of Elections, after learning of allegations of fraudulent signature gathering in that case, and a number of others,” Riemer told us by telephone. “My understanding is that an investigation is under way,” he said.

When we asked what “other” cases had also been referred to the AG, he referred us to the AG for more details, though he characterized the petition signature fraud described by Gingrich as “definitely an illegal act”.

“We can confirm that there is an investigation underway,” Brian J. Gottstein, Director of Communication for the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia confirmed toThe BRAD BLOG via email on Monday, “but other than that, we cannot comment about an ongoing investigation.”

Gingrich was a vocal critic of the now-defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), whom he (falsely) accused the group of “adding such notables as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck to the voter rolls,” and even compared it with Hamas (I’m not kidding).

Friedman also posits that Gingrich rival Mitt Romney may have voting problems of his own:

Last week, Romney release his federal income tax forms stating his residence to be “Belmont, MA”. However, as we noted at the time, his specific address was redacted, so it’s impossible to know, based on that return, if he used the address at his son’s house or his newly purchased townhouse in the same small town, as his residence for tax purposes that year.

Notably, Romney failed to release his state income tax returns for 2010, nor any of them for years prior. A 2009 return showing his residence to be income-tax free New Hampshire would be damning evidence of voter fraud in the January 2010 election in Massachusetts.

I’m no election lawyer, but if Mitt Romney voted in Massachusetts, and filed state taxes in New Hampshire, that would be a terrible optic, at the very least, for a candidate who has already gotten a ton of bad press for his low income tax rate. So far, the Romney campaign hasn’t commented on, or provided, their candidate’s 2010 state tax returns.

ACORN, Brad Friedman, newt gingrich, Virginia, Virginia Republican primary

Anonymous

Democracy now! Newt on the ballot so he can win the nomination and get a whopping in the general, while taking the whole GOP establishment with him.
Gloves Argyle Donahue

What a fundamental gyp !
Anonymous

‘Falsely’ claimed? Are you saying ACORN did not turn in fraudulent signatures such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck? From WSJ, May 2009 (top of google search):

“On Monday, Nevada officials charged Acorn, its regional director and its Las Vegas field director with submitting thousands of fraudulent voter registration forms last year. Larry Lomax, the registrar of voters in Las Vegas, says he believes 48% of Acorn’s forms “are clearly fraudulent.” On Thursday, prosecutors in Pittsburgh, Pa., also charged seven Acorn employees with filing hundreds of fraudulent voter registrations before last year’s general election. ”

This is an interesting read too: http://rottenacorn.com/activityMap.html
Gloves Argyle Donahue

Better song for Newt, and also from the eighties :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSqtBwfZOz8&feature=related
http://twitter.com/Leiterfluid Chris Leiter

Apparently, you’re no journalist, either, because most states require you to pay state income tax if you’ve worked there, regardless of where you lived. Also, THE BULK OF ROMNEY’S INCOME COMES FROM CAPITAL GAINS, NOT TAXABLE WAGES.
BooBoo Bear

He still needs to file the Tax Return whether he owes any tax or not. If he filed Federal Taxes he must file a State Tax Return. Don’t tell me you’ve never filed taxes.
http://twitter.com/TheBradBlog Brad Friedman

ACORN turned in ALL registration forms collected, whether they were fraudulent or not, AS PER THE LAW.

The difference is that they attempted to validate them and flag them as “likely fraudulent”, as appropriate, when turning them in to officials, along with the identity of the worker who defrauded them. Newt didn’t bother.

And no, there is no evidence that Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck or any other fraudulent registration via an ACORN worker who had defrauded ACORN, has EVER resulted in a single fraudulent vote in ANY election, ANYWHERE at ANY time.

You’re welcome.
AliveStillKickin

I am thinking that Romney…..along with the assistance of fellow Progressives, Barack Obama and George Soros planted a signature collector into the Gingrich camp to keep Newt off the ballot.
Soros has stated that Obama and Romney are almost like twin sons to him (analogy) and I think Mitt is their “ace-in-the-hole” in case Obama can’t get votes. Gingrich would beat Obama hands-down in a debate and many things would emerge that could do serious harm to the Emperor.
John McCain was their Progressive “slap-puppy” in 2008 and they are doing it again….with Romney
Call it Mitt Romney
or
Call it Barack Obama
A rose is a rose…and this is a Rose of Sh*t
D Valerio

Just like Newt! Should his campaign be disbanded just like ACORN was?
Anonymous

So Romney’s working with Obama and Soros?

Are you the same guy with the Sarah Palin = Bin Laden = Biden conspiracy website?

I for one, would love to see Obama debate Newt. He got his butt kicked by Romney and you think he could stand up to Obama? That’s funny!!
Anonymous

I love how the republicans are so inept and laughable even their own followers have to convince themselves it’s all some kind of conspiracy…
Pablo

Hey, so how about checking ID before letting people vote, so that you know the people who are voting are who they say they are?
Anonymous

Fact is voter registration is NOT voter fraud. Voter fraud involves fraud in voting not registering voters to vote. Yes both are equally wrong. Plus I thought Acorn was kaput several years ago.
Чёрт Возьми

Explain to us what happened the last time you voted. Did you not state your name and have it checked against the list of registered voters? How did you get on that list?
Anonymous

Newt and Romney are both dishonest, the only candidate that is honest and sensible is Ron Paul. The way the primaries are going so far it looks like we will get another crooked president that screws the tax payers and starts another war.
Anonymous

Operative word in your comment “INCOME” so he should be taxed at an INCOME TAX RATE all income is income and a capital gains tax rate is just a conservative way of rigging the tax code to benefit the RICH.
pbvtog

Newt will not be on the ballot, and I couldn’t be happier :) The facts are that Newt/Santorum can be made to look like a racist in a 30sec commercial. There goes 80% of the black vote.. Mittens flip flopped on too many issues in an attempt to please the establishment.. All three are for bigger government and endless undeclared wars. Bigger Gov = fewer individual rights. And my God who in their right mind could vote for a guy that cheats on his wife suffering from uterine cancer!!! Evil man that Newt.. Ron Paul is the only candidate with a real shot at beating Obama. 20% of voters are independents and who do you think the majority of independents support? Thats right, Ron Paul! He has proposed a salary for himself that would match that of the average American. He’s the ONLY consistent intellectually honest presidential candidate. His supporters know this and thats why he only gains support, not loses it. Once a Ron Paul supporter, always a Ron Paul supporter. Without us Republicans cannot win.

Vote Ron Paul for President 2012!!!!!
http://twitter.com/TheBradBlog Brad Friedman

What does “checking ID” have to do with Newt’s campaign submitting 1,500 fraudulent registrations?

As to checking ID at the polls, what about the 25 million Americans who don’t have Photo ID?

Finally, what are you intending to do by checking ID at the polls? Stop “voter fraud”? Are you able to point to any instances of polling place voter impersonation that would be deterred by such measures? How many? 5? Let me know when the number is anywhere near the number (25 million) of those who are likely to be disenfranchised by such voter suppression measures. K?
http://www.facebook.com/TastyNoob Aaron Eichenholz

It’s still going (Acorn)
AliveStillKickin

Google:
New World Order
Agenda 21
and
Bilderberg.
Then stick your empty, uneducated, useless head between your legs and kiss your sorry “ss good bye…..
You…as a useful idiot will be the first they come for.
Marxists are like that….look it up.
Anonymous

Newt did not get on the ballot because he was on a Cruise with his former mistress current wife while he should have been campaigning….
Anonymous

shouldn’t you be napping now so you won’t nod off during Coast to Coast?
Anonymous

Go check youtube for the dead voters in New Hampshire this year. An activist filmed a friend using names from obituaries to get ballots, but they never accepted the ballots or voted. It was just to prove that people can vote under the names of the recently deceased. As has been shown in other elections as well.
Anonymous

I would love to see Gingrich and Obama debate ideas and concepts, but only for entertainment purposes. Don’t want either of them in the presidency.

Another debate I would LOVE to see is Ron Paul debate Obama on the Constitution. Obama’s supposed to be a Constitutional scholar, but you’d never know it by the way he abuses and discards it on a regular basis.
Anonymous

You’re kidding, right? Why would you fraudulently register voters if not to have them vote fraudulently?

Acorn has re-formed under a few names. You can google it. They won’t go away.
Anonymous

And should his campaign re-form under other names just like ACORN did?
Anonymous

My response is info that shows you and me are on the same wavelength here.
Below is from 2008. OTOH facts are never out of date.
McCain (along with all the others who are pushing the “voter
fraud” line) is incorrect. This is not voter fraud, this is registration
fraud — and ACORN reports these registrations to the authorities.
ACORN is required to turn in all the registrations it receives, whether
those registrations are good, bad or incomplete. This is something that
the “voter fraud” advocates never seem to mention.Voter fraud
includes acts such as removing voters from the rolls because the name on
the registration doesn’t exactly match the name on the driver’s
license, or because the picture on the license doesn’t exactly match the
person. Or denying the right to vote to military personnel stationed
overseas, or to college students who don’t live with their parents.
Anonymous

McCain (along with all the others who are pushing the “voter
fraud” line) is incorrect. This is not voter fraud, this is registration
fraud — and ACORN reports these registrations to the authorities.
ACORN is required to turn in all the registrations it receives, whether
those registrations are good, bad or incomplete. This is something that
the “voter fraud” advocates never seem to mention.Voter fraud
includes acts such as removing voters from the rolls because the name on
the registration doesn’t exactly match the name on the driver’s
license, or because the picture on the license doesn’t exactly match the
person. Or denying the right to vote to military personnel stationed
overseas, or to college students who don’t live with their parents.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1422833120 Aili McKeen

Just a note on that last paragraph: I live and vote in CT, but I have a house in Maine which I rent out (I rent it because I haven’t been able to sell it), so I have to file income taxes in Maine because I have Maine income. Also, my husband is a carpenter and he worked in Massachusetts for part of 2009, and we had to file MA income taxes that year as well. Just pointing out that there could be many reasons other than actual residency to file in multiple states.
http://profile.yahoo.com/ZUKKKRCJR73A47XTEBKBHWUS3I Doalrite

Are you serious… Newt lives in Va and should’ve gotten 15000 signatures for good measure. If he believes that we should change the LAW because it doesn’t suit someones needs after the fact then I don’t want him as my president. He must follow the Law not be above it. Ignorance is not an excuse. Besides Newt is an Establishment guy, so how would anything change, the establishment has a plan and is right on track. The only guy that 100 percent votes for the constitution and is for the people is Ron Paul, even with the media black out on him and the voter fraud blantely happening Ron Paul is gaining more and more momentum and has more delagates than anyother canidate.