Former George W. Bush White House spokesman Pete Seat blindsided David Axelrod on CNN with a ballot fraud scandal involving Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The exchange erupted after Axelrod mocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to investigate the 2020 election in Arizona.
Seat fired back with an example from St. Joseph County, Indiana.
“I will give you an example of where it has been determinative. And that is in my home state of Indiana, Saint Joseph County,” Seat said.
“The gentleman you previously worked for, David Axelrod, Barack Obama got on the ballot because Democrats in that county submitted fraudulent ballot petition signatures. People, including the Democrat County Chair, went to jail over that.
“Barack Obama should not have been on the primary ballot in the state of Indiana.”
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger jumped in, telling Seat, “But that’s not a voting — that’s not a voting issue.”
“Like that’s something — it is a voting issue because he was on the ballot and people could vote for,” Seat replied.
Axelrod then asked, “How did … how did that get determined?”
WOW. I did not know this.. you?
🚨 Former Bush spokesperson is receiving immense backlash from Democrats after spilling the beans on Obama
“Barack Obama got on the 2008 Indiana primary ballot because Democrats in St. Joseph County submitted FRAUDULENT petition signatures.…
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) August 12, 2026
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Seat explained that the scheme was exposed years after Obama had already appeared on the ballot and that the case eventually moved through the courts.
Four St. Joseph County Democrats were convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with forged petitions submitted for Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The operation was led by longtime county Democratic Chairman Owen “Butch” Morgan Jr., who was convicted in 2013 of conspiracy to commit petition fraud and conspiracy to commit forgery. Morgan was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by community corrections and probation.
Investigators found that participants had copied names and signatures from petitions circulated for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Schellinger. Former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan was among those whose names appeared on the fraudulent paperwork.
The scheme was uncovered only after the 2008 election was over and Obama was in the White House.
Neither Obama nor his campaign was accused of participating in the fraud. But the forged signatures were submitted to help place his name on Indiana’s Democratic primary ballot, and election officials failed to catch them when it mattered.
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