Democrats embarrassed by fake "tea party" filings

In Oakland County, Michigan, three fake candidates filed to run under the Tea Party name. Investigation has traced the fake filings back to Democrats who chose to make the fake filings in what they anticipated to be three close races. Taking the unusual step of acknowledging the problem (rather than stonewalling), Democrats are embarrassed enough that they are now calling for the removal of one of their own:

Democrats on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Saturday called for the removal of a county Democratic Party employee in the wake of allegations of fraud by Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson a day earlier.

Hat tip: Instapundit.

UPDATE (8-Oct-2010): There is also fake tea in New Jersey, as the Cherry Hill Courier Post reports:

Congressman John Adler's campaign and the Camden County Democratic Committee recruited "NJ Tea Party'' candidate Peter DeStefano to confuse conservative voters and hurt Adler's Republican challenger this fall, Democratic operatives say.

PREVIOUSLY on the Democrats response to the Tea Party movement:
•Democrats respond to Tea Party with smears and lies
•Democrats respond to Tea Party movement with "F*ck Tea"
•Yet another Tea Party infiltrator caught
•A Tea Party greets Obama in San Francisco and the left responds by chanting smears
•Infiltrators at a San Francisco Tea Party