Follow-up to Breitbart News’ major national story on Battleground Texas, an ACORN-like organization supporting Democrat Wendy Davis for governor, whose operatives appear to violate Texas law by registering voters on behalf of the state, but then illegally copying voters’ telephone numbers into their private database for partisan use later.

Now Democrats are responding with a defense so lame that it seems more likely than ever that in fact crimes are being committing by these Democratic operatives…

It began with a story in the Texas Tribune, in which Battleground Texas characterizes its actions as “patriotically working” to advance democracy. That story also quotes a Democratic election lawyer, Buck Wood, who tries to provide a legal defense. In the story, Wood says the plain language of the statute makes it clear that these volunteer deputy registrars (VDRs) are not considered county officials, and that the statute doesn’t address what these volunteers can do with such information.

Correction: The Texas Tribune story did quote Buck Wood, but it’s since been “updated throughout” to remove all of Wood’s comments and replace them with statements from “Battleground spokesman Ellis Brachman,” who also claims Battleground Texas operatives did not break the law when they copied voters’ phone numbers off registration applications – data-mining activity they have never denied.

The Breitbart follow-up details point-by-point a recent Fifth Circuit ruling that refutes the Democrats’ “lame” defense, concluding:

Contrary to Wood’s assertions, VDRs are regarded as county government officials, and the same criminal laws apply regarding copying or disclosing confidential information. The law does not allow a VDR to copy a phone number into a private database for political purposes.

Also contrary to Wood’s analysis, the relevant provision of Texas Election Code § 13.004 is not merely to keep the government from releasing private information such as a phone number to the general public… The only reason for the specific prohibition on copying phone numbers is to prevent the VDR from retaining that information, for any purpose whatsoever.

Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial favorite Greg Abbott, whose Democrat opponent’s campaign has received millions from Battleground Texas, recused himself and referred the case to Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed.