PA Lawsuit: Democrats Embezzle Taxpayer Money to Keep Green Off Ballot

From Courthouse News Service:

SCRANTON, Pa. (CN) - A former Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate claims the House Democratic Caucus used taxpayer money to fund signature challenges that kept his name off the November 2006 ballot. Carl Romanelli claims Democrats wanted to "enhance the electability of the Democratic nominee ... by eliminating a challenger whose votes would likely come at [Democrat Robert] Casey's expense."
     Romanelli claims in Federal Court that the Democratic Caucus paid nearly $4,000 to get copies of the 3,704 pages of his nominating petitions, which contained 94,544 signatures, immediately after he submitted them.
     The Caucus then illegally created a challenge document by using state employees who "worked day in and day out on the petitions" and "were all paid by the Commonwealth with taxpayer money," Romanelli claims.