Bill Kelly to Sue Smithburg for Defamation–Also, Video of Dick Morris Endorsement

William J. Kelly issued statements on two issues today. Firstly, he’s threatening to sue opponent Tom Smithburg for defamation for Smithburg’s election campaign mailer claims that Kelly voted Democrat multiple times in the last 20 years. Secondly, Kelly released a video of his endorsement by Fox News contributor Dick Morris, who appeared at a Saturday fundraiser at Chicago’s Signature Room.

Smithburg’s camp has what it claims is Kelly’s voting record showing that the longtime Republican campaigner pulled a Democrat ballot “at least five times” since the 1990s. Kelly released his own copies of his voting records showing that he voted Democrat once, not as many as “five times.”

From the Kelly for Committeeman campaign…

Establishment Caught Lying about William J. Kelly’s Voting Record, Kelly issues Cease and Desist Letter Monday

Chicago, IL, March 13, 2012 – Dick Morris, Fox News contributor and the preeminent political strategists of our time, came to Chicago Saturday to deliver an urgent message to Illinois Republicans: It’s time to take Chicago back from the Democrats.

“At the moment what passes for political opposition in Chicago is the grumblings of disaffected factions in the Democrat party that haven’t gotten their patronage payouts yet. So they go on the air and complain until they get their money and then they shut up. There is no viable Republican opposition in this city,” said Morris, who was very critical of the Chicago Republican Party.

Because the state Republicans failed to get just 20% of the vote from Cook County and Chicago, they lost the governor’s race and control of the state remap for the next decade, giving the Democrats yet another election advantage.

With a stunning jewel-like backdrop of the City of Chicago from 95 floors up on top of the John Hancock building, Morris announced he has hand-picked conservative firebrand William J. Kelly as his choice to head-up the Chicago Republican Party and 42nd ward committeeman.

“What you’ve got to do here is breathe life into this party. Give it a chance to bloom. Challenge the excrescences of this very excrete mayor. And really go after it,” explained the best-selling conservative author. “And I couldn’t think of a better warrior. A better guerilla fighter. A better hand-to-hand combatant than my friend William Kelly.”

But the political establishment is dead-set against William Kelly succeeding and changing the Chicago GOP for the better into a dynamic viable party of opposition. John Kass of the Chicago Tribune has coined a term for that “Illinois political class that’s not committed to any party; that simply want to make money off the taxpayers.”

Kass calls it “The Combine.” And Illinois Democrats and Republicans in name only are a part of it. So what do you do in Illinois to the most conservative of Republicans? You call them a Democrat.

Kelly’s opponent, Tommy Smithburg, whose family gives tens of thousands of dollars to Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama, Dick Durbin and George Ryan, accused Kelly in a mailer of being a straight Democrat voter – a fact contradicted by the Chicago Board of Elections certified record. According to Kelly’s attorney, there is no record of anyone – Smithburg or his staff – or anyone else pulling a copy of Kelly’s certified voting record. Something Kelly finds suspicious.

Smithburg sent out a mailer last week with the claim and Kelly’s attorney today issued a cease and desist letter Monday to Smithburg and his political advisors Jeremy Rose and Colin Corbett. Rose was forced to resign in disgrace as Executive Director of the Cook County Republican Party in a sex scandal involving young Republican females. Smithburg’s family money also “bought” him Republican endorsements despite that the twenty-three year-old has no record as a Republican or a conservative.

Read a copy of Kelly’s cease and desist letter here:

Cease and Desist Letter

The letter says in part:

This letter is written for settlement purposes, to afford each of you the opportunity to right the wrongs that your reckless conduct has caused. Specifically, at fault are your public statements regarding William J. Kelly, which contain numerous incorrect and false facts, to such a degree as being defamatory.

William J. Kelly is not a “Democrat” as you have publicly asserted. Even the most cursory review of Mr. Kelly’s many writings and statements throughout the years confirm that he has strongly advocated for and on behalf of the Republican Party and its candidates. As to his voting record, I have inquired with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, and received confirmed that nobody has obtained a “certified” copy of Mr. Kelly’s voting record – the only source from which a “certified” record may be obtained. Nonetheless, Mr. Kelly’s voting record with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners confirms that not only has Mr. Kelly been an active voter, he has selected the Republican Party primary ballot in all recent elections.

“As Dick Morris says, this is the best chance we have to build a real Republican Party in Chicago, which is why this Smithburg-inspired Combine is so desperate to stop me,” says Kelly. “Please contribute anything you can so that we can let the voters of Chicago know the truth.”

www.friendsofwilliamjkelly.com. For more information, follow William J. Kelly at www.facebook.com/fighting42ndward.