Gov. Deval Patrick's political committee confirmed Tuesday that the mailing distributed by Governor's Councilor Kelly Timilty's campaign featuring an endorsement from the governor was, in fact, phony and said that it is exploring whether there are legal implications of the forgery.

"The mailing sent out recently by the Timilty campaign was not approved by the Deval Patrick Committee, nor did the governor approve or author the letter that bears his signature" said Liz Morningstar, Executive Director of the Deval Patrick Committee. "The governor has not endorsed any candidate for Governor's Council. The Deval Patrick Committee is exploring all legal implications with respect to this unauthorized mailing."

PolitickerMA.com reported earlier Tuesday that Timilty, who is running for reelection in the second Governor's Council district, distributed a mailer with an endorsement from the governor that sources close to the governor said was phony.

Timilty is running against Milton Democrat Robert Jubinville.